When Fame Meets Fortune
by VirginAuthor
Summary: Scorpius and Lily meet on the train. They become the best of friends. How will their families react. The bonds of friendship will be tested on all sides. Can their friendship survive? considered complete. Look for the sequel When Fame and Fortune Collide
1. Bubblegum Hair and a Train Ride

Scorpius Malfoy sat on the train, slowly flipping through a quidditch magazine. He sighed and threw the magazine to the side glaring at the empty compartment. His friends had deserted him. It was the start of their third year and the others who had been sharing his compartment had left. They had muttered something about the Gryfindors that were sitting in the compartment a few doors down.

Normally, he would have jumped at the opportunity to annoy other houses (especially Gryfindor) but he felt restless and even the thought of jinxing unsuspecting students did not seem to amuse him. He sighed as he started around the empty benches and again wondered if he had been put in the correct house.

It was true, Scorpius was an ambitious student. He wanted to do well and he was extremely clever. He knew one day he wanted to join the ministry and restore the Malfoy name to power. And yet, he was so different than the other Slytherin students. He enjoyed wizard duals and trying out new spells, but when it came to using these spells, he wanted an opponent that could give him a challenge. Most others he rode with went after the weaker or younger students. In fact, that was probably why he was not out with them now. He used surprise attacks as an advantage, but only on someone who could defend themselves.

He liked his friends, even if they did not share the same idea of fun. They played quidditch, and made fun of assignments they did not like. They shared jokes and books and snuck out of their rooms to try and out prank other students. But Scor still felt bored. He was tired of the same old routine at school. He was restless, and that did not improve his temper. Scorpius was famous for having the Malfoy glare and temper. And if this was how he felt going off to school, it did not bode well.

Scorpius was shaken from his melancholy when the door to his compartment slammed open. A small girl (a first year by the look of her) dashed in. After a quick peek out the window into the hall, she backed up quickly. She turned and saw Scorpius, and she quickly smiled and winking at him.

Putting a finger to her lips she said, "Shh, don't tell him I'm here." And with that, the small girl jumped on the bench and scrambled up onto the luggage rack. She squeezed behind Scorpius' trunk and seemed to disappear. Just then the door slammed open again.

**"I know you are somewhere on this train! Come out right now or I swear…."** James Sirius Potter stood in the doorway looking livid. His brown eyes were flashing as he quickly scanned the room. It was then that Scorpius noticed that instead of the normally messy black locks, James' hair seemed slicked down to his head with spikes coming out at odd angles all around his head that wasn't the worst though. Instead of the shiny black hair James was so proud of, it was a bright bubblegum pink with purple eyebrows! Scorpius' eyebrows shot up and he smirked. He was never one to laugh out loud, but this was amusing enough that he almost did.

James looked at Scorpius. "Oy, Malfoy, have you seen a little redhead running around?" James' teeth were clenched and he was breathing hard. Scorpius was a master of emotion and he looked at the older boy with a straight face. "You mean besides all of your cousins? No, I can't say that I have. Don't tell me you made your little cousin Rosie mad now. Tsk Tsk Potter."

With jaw still clenched, James glared, "No, it wasn't my cousin." And with that he stormed down the hall yelling, **"You can't hide forever! This train does stop and when it does…!" **

Scor waited until the shouting dies down the hall and called up quietly to the young girl. "You can come down, the coast is clear." He watched as a small face peaked around the trunk. She was silently laughing. He watched as her eyes glowed. Her cheeks were rosy and flushed. Scorpius found himself smiling back at her and shaking his head. "I take it you are the one Potter can thank for the makeover?"

The young girl jumped from the rack and landed on the bench next to Scorpius. She sat down and smiled brightly. "Yeah, I've been practicing that for weeks. Not with a wand of course, but I'm glad to see it works." Scorpius stared down and ice blue eyes met warm copper eyes. Her red hair was so dark, it was mahogany and he imagined that it looked quite black in dim light. He was used to seeing red hair on the train. It came in abundance when you added up all the Weasleys that currently attended Hogworts. This was different. It was darker. He had never seen red hair quite like this. Add those copper eyes, and it would be a dangerous combination when she was older.

"Brave to try that out on a fifth year though."

"Oh what's he going to do? I mean he can try to change my hair color, but he will be more worried about changing back before we get back to school. And then he will be on to bigger fish." This little girl was right. James and his cousin Fred would be more worried about their latest pranks than worrying about a little first year. He saw her head turn to the door.

"I think I can make a run for it. Thanks for keeping my secret Malfoy." She smiled at him again. It was such a warm bright smile that he found himself smiling back rather than giving his classic smirk. With a mischievous wink, she was out the door. After she left, the small space seemed to lose a glow and he scowled again. He had forgotten to ask her name.


	2. She had to be a Potter

Scorpius sat in a slight daze. His mind was not sure what to think of the red tornado that had thrown herself into his quiet little world. As he sat thinking about this little adventure, the door again opened and four other third year students let themselves in.

The first was a boy with long, dark hair. It was tied back away from his eyes which were a deep brown. They almost looked black in the dark light. He was heavier than Scorpius. He had been training all summer to be a beater on the Slytherin team and the workouts had added extra muscle to his frame. This was Grayson Boarman. He could be a mean kid, given the right provocation. For the most part, he sat back and smirked at almost everything. Despite his size, he tended to insult other students rather than hex them. When it came to quidditch though, he used every bit of his size as an advantage.

Next was a boy who was the complete opposite of Grayson. His name was Oswald Noori. He was shorter than Grayson and Scorpius. He was scrawny for his age and had dull brown hair. He did have amazing eyes though. They were a deep, dark blue that seemed to mesmerize those who looked too closely. He was an easy target because of his size, but with his friends around, few bothered him. He was quiet, and did not talk much, but when you got him talking about a subject he liked, there was no shutting him up. He and Scorpius had grown up together. They were very close, almost like brothers.

The two girls followed the boys. One was a young looking blond, with light blue eyes. This was Bernadette Peterson. She had a real temper at times and it didn't take much to set her off. Once, the boys had found a young Hufflepuff up in the Whomping Willow because the kid had asked a question about Bernadette's mother. Her mother was muggleborn, and the subject of her heritage was often a sore subject with her.

Next to Bernadette was Persephone Thaden. She was an opinionated brunette. She had an opinion on everything, and if you disagreed, too bad. She would hex you rather than listen to your argument half of the time. She was tall and lanky next to Bernadette's short stature. She was an extremely loyal friend though and would hear nothing negative about any of her friends. She was the most likely to smile rather than smirk at a joke.

These five were often seen together, though Grayson and Bernadette were often seen off with other groups of Slytherins as well. The other three, Scorpius, Persephone, and Oswald, were with each other most of the time, well except when it came to starting fights with younger students.

This bored Scor to tears, and he often found himself alone on these occasions. While the others wandered hallways, Scorpius often found himself in the library, flipping through spell books. Sometimes he would spend the time outside, practicing the new spells and charms he was learning. He found that he enjoyed the solitude. He was quiet by nature and did not show emotion often. His typical expression was a scowl that turned away all but the bravest of people.

Pulled from his thoughts, Scorpius found that the others were talking about James Potter. He scowled at his friends, "Just one more thing for people to talk about. I swear, a Potter sneezes and the whole school is in awe."

Grayson gave a little smile, "Aw come on Scor. You have to admit that the hair was pretty funny. Someone finally gave it to a 'Perfect Potter' and from what I hear; it was a little first year at that."

The group laughed at the thought of the fifth year being out hexed by a small first year. The thought of the little redhead taking on someone like Potter made Scorpius laugh even more. James was extremely popular with the female population of Hogwarts, and that included a number of Slytherin girls. He was tall, dark, and handsome with a famous family. Even little Albus Potter was gaining a small following of admirers. He too was following his brother in the looks department.

Sure they had fame, but the Malfoy fortune was still in tact. Scorpius knew that the Potters had money, but at least he still had something they did not. He was not bad looking. He noticed more looks as he went down the halls. Some might even say he had his own little fanclub starting. Scor scowled again. It probably wouldn't be long before the little spitfire joined one of the Potter fanclubs. It was a disappointing thought. Conversation turned to other subjects as the train moved quickly to the school.

The small group got off the train and started to drift to a carriage. They watched as Potter got off the train, with his messy black hair back to its original state. He sat laughing with his red haired cousin. "If I didn't know better, I would say that he's acting the proud papa the way he is strutting around talking about the kid that jinxed him." Persephone said as the group looked on. Scorpius just shook his head and frowned.

Just then a young third year came racing up to the group and slung an arm around Scorpius' neck. "Why it's my favorite little snakes. How was the ride?" The boy shook his chestnut hair out of his eyes and grinned.

Scorpius rolled his eyes, "Look the Gryfindork finally decided to grace us with his presence." Scor wasn't scowling though, and the insult just caused the boy to laugh.

"You just wish you could have been sorted into Gryfindor with me."

"Blain, you are delusional. Of course, that is a common trait in your little group." The Slytherins laughed and smiled at the newcomer. Blain Thacher had grown up with Scorpius and Oswald. They had been inseparable. When their first year arrived, the trio was in for a surprise, Blain was not sorted into Slytherin with the others. He was sent to Gryfindor.

Scorpius had felt completely betrayed by his friend. Blain had left them and made other friends. When he tried to talk to Scorpius, Scorpius had just walked away. He had gone so far as to jinx Blain, but Blain just kept coming back. After months, Scorpius and Blain started back on the road to friendship. They did not spend hours at a time together like they used to, but they were back to teasing each other. They were each others confidants. Blain still managed to come over for a few weeks every summer and the friendship was an excellent one. When it came to personality, they were polar opposites and many wondered how they remained such good friends. Blain was a Gryfindor through and through, and Scorpius, well Slytherin was the best fit. It wasn't a perfect fit but it worked for him.

The rest of the group had taken Blain back the minute Scorpius had forgiven him. It became tradition for Blain to ride on the train with his fellow Gryfindors, but to ride with the Slytherins up to the castle. They quickly found a carriage and they were off. Blain was full of energy.

"So I take it you heard about the pink hair. Wasn't that a riot?" Blain started laughing again. Grayson looked at him and smiled.

"So is it true that it was a little first year that did it?"

"Even better. It was his little sister, Lily." At this the jaws dropped. His sister? Bernadette voiced everyone's amazement.

"Dear Lord, there's another one? How many Potters are there?"

"Just the three, though Lily is probably the smartest of the three. Imagine a spell like that and she nails James with it. He's no slouch when it comes to creative spells. After he cooled off, you should have seen him. He was so proud that she was able to do it that he opted to keep the purple eyebrows for awhile." This started Blain laughing again.

"Wait, you mean she has never done that before? That's really advanced magic." Oz looked over towards the direction of the lake in amazement. The others followed suit. The rest of the ride was spent in amazed silence.

Scorpius huffed and sat back with his scowl back in place. It figures. She would have to be a Potter!


	3. The Dream Dies

Blain left them at the entrance to the castle. He gave a quick hug to the girls and a slap on the back to the boys. He smiled and his bright hazel eyes danced with laughter. He turned and ran to a group of Gryfindors. Scorpius looked bored as he scanned the little group. He didn't know most of them, but he did know the one Blain slung an arm around. It was Albus Potter. Al looked and caught Scor's eye. He gave a small wave and a slight smile of acknowledgment.

Scorpius responded by raising an eyebrow. Al shrugged and turned back to his friends. It wasn't that he disliked Albus, but he was a Potter. He got attention for doing absolutely nothing, and that irritated Scorpius. When he had first met the whirlwind on the train, he had seen her as a breath of fresh air. She had been energetic and bouncy, but she had no irritated him. Now he knew she was a potter and he disliked the idea. Soon the fame of her father would turn her into an irritating brat, he was sure of it.

Scorpius turned to his friends and they made their way to the Slytherin table. The hall was filled with talking and laughter. After the long break, the energy was high. Everyone was excited to start another year. New Prefects were showing off their badges, and couples could be found stealing a quick kiss before being drug apart by friends or the occasional teacher.

Soon the table settled down and the doors opened to reveal the timid first years being herded into the room. This was their first glimpse of Hogwarts and they all started in awe. Their eyes were huge as they took it all in. Some looked excited while most looked slightly green. They looked from decorations to the huge numbers of students surrounding them. Scorpius found himself scanning the crowd for the little redhead.

He found her near the center of the group. She was smiling at two little first year boys next to her. They had pale blond hair and pale green, dreamy eyes. Spitfire was laughing at something they said and she looked up to meet Scorpius' eyes. She smiled and gave a little wave before turning to search out her family. Persephone nudged him, "Who's the little firstie waving at you?"

Scorpius ignored her and she shrugged and turned back to the first years. The Deputy Head Master, Ambrose Chadwick, began reading off names. This was usually a boring pass time for Scor. He had no siblings and his friends had no siblings this year. They usually spent the time critiquing the newbies coming in. This year, he found himself watching closely. He was impatient as he listened to names being called. Professor Chadwick had only made it through the Ks and Scorpius found himself shifting in his seat.

Soon he made it to the name everyone was waiting to hear, "Potter, Lily"

The little redhead walked up confidently and scrambled onto the stool. The hat fell into her eyes and her audience watched in silence awaiting the outcome. It seemed to take for ever, but the hat announced loudly, "Gryfindor"

The Gryfindor erupted in cheers and Lily ran to receive hugs from her brothers and cousins. Scor sat back, oddly disappointed. He didn't know why, she was a Potter after all.

"So are you going to tell me now why Little Potter was waving at you earlier?" Persephone nudged Scor again. He rolled his eyes.

"She came running into our compartment while you were all out. She was hiding from Potter. When he left, she thanked me for not giving away her hiding spot and ran out the door."

"Oh. So you don't secretly go over to the Potter's on weekends then."

"Shut up." Scor glared at Persephone as she laughed and turned back to the other conversations going on at the table.

Dinner was excellent as usual, and the group left feeling contented as the made their way to the dungeons. Students sat around the common room and chatted a bit, but soon the food took effect, and most wandered up to their rooms. Scor wasn't ready to sleep yet. Since the train ride he was full of energy. He was relaxed, but had no desire to sleep. Most of his friends moved on towards bed, and he found himself alone in the common room.

At least he thought he was alone. Oswald stepped from the shadows and sat down next to Scorpius. Scorpius jumped and he turned to glare, "Don't do that Oz. You are too quiet to sneak around like that. You could have given me a heart attack."

Oz shrugged, "Sorry." He didn't sound in the least apologetic. "So are you going to tell me what's going on with you today?"

"I don't know what you are talking about."

"Persephone told me about your little meeting with Potter. And you have been even more surly than usual. When her name got called, you were watching her like a hawk, and when she was sent to Gryfindor you pouted."

"I did not pout!"

"Yes you did. Don't tell me you wanted to see little Potter in Slytherin."

"Have you gone mental? I could care less about Potter. I think you need to go to bed. Lack of sleep and too much food must be rattling your brain."

"Fine, but you know you can talk to us. We're your friends Scor."

Scorpius ignored Oz. He was lost in thought again. He had to admit that part of him had wanted to see Potter in Slytherin. It had been a clever trick, and the most clever (not necessarily the most intelligent) belonged in Slytherin. There was also her appearance. She was so different from her brothers that a part of him expected her personality to be different too.

The small redhead did not look like she would ever reach great heights, and both her brothers were tall and lean. They both had the dark black hair of their father where Lily had the mahogany red locks. Both brothers had cool eyes. Albus had cool green where James had the cool brown tones of his mother. Scor remembered her eyes. They were warm deep cooper pools. Just the thought of them made him smile now.

He shook his head. What was he thinking? A Potter in Slytherin? Not a chance. All at once he was tired and decided it was time to head to bed. He seemed exhausted. As he lay down, a thought came to him.

He was bored. He was tired of the same old friends, doing the same old things. He wanted someone he could challenge and that would challenge him. He was tired of being the one to push everyone away. Sure the others were his friends, but he didn't confide feelings or plans or anything like that to them. They were the ones that he spent time with. He enjoyed their company, but he didn't want to know everything they thought or about their deep feelings.

He wanted someone like Blain. Even with Blain, he felt separated. He had pushed Blain away and in that time, Blain had made other friends. Scor knew he was not the first one Blain ran to with a problem or an idea. He missed that. When this little girl came running in, she had reminded Scor of Blain. That laughter in her eyes and her smile were exactly like Blain.

Blain still knew most of Scor's secrets and ideas. But it saddened him that the thing weighing so heavily on his chest was the one thing he couldn't tell Blain about. He couldn't tell Blain that they were no longer the inseparable friends they once were. He couldn't go to Blain and he couldn't go to his Slytherin friends. He had no one to confide in.

It clicked. He had wanted this girl in Slytherin because he thought she could be a fresh start. She could have been his confidant. But the moment he found out she was a Potter, he knew that dream had been in jeopardy. When she was sorted into Gryfindor, the dream died. As Scorpius Malfoy drifted off to sleep, a single tear ran down his face.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for those of you reading. I am new at this (as you can see form my name), so any reviews are helpful. I am debating doing this story from Scorpius' point of view only, or adding in Lily's. Let me know what you think. I think this can be a really good story so please keep up the comments. Thanks! 


	4. Shrinking Gnomes and Copper Fire

Scorpius woke with a splitting headache. He had not slept well and to top it off, he knew that he would have at least one class with the Gryfindors today. With two such different views and personalities, these shared classes were always the worst. Everyone was trying to outdo the other. It was a way to prove your side was right. He was sure that any teacher that had a Gryfindor and Slytherin combined class was dreading every moment.

As he readied for the day, he glanced around at his fellow third years. _Damn, Oz is still looking at me funny_ Scorpius masked his annoyance and set about grabbing his robes. Oz was not going to let this go.

Of all the Slytherin third years, Oz was the most in tune to people. He noticed reactions and faces. He usually was right when it came to picking out a way to get under another person's skin. This was usually helpful when it came time for quidditch, but right now, it was just a pain. He did not need one of his friends analyzing his every move. He sent a quick glare Oz's way and went down to the common room to wait for the others.

The girls were already waiting, tapping impatient feet. "Took you long enough? And they say girls take forever to get ready." Persephone was grumpy in the mornings. It was just her nature.

"Not my problem that you get up two hours before us so you can primp. We young men need our beauty sleep."

An irritated Persephone glared at Scorpius. "Looks like you could use some more."

Scorpius gave a tiny smile. This did not bother him in the least. It was their morning ritual. He and Persephone always seemed to be snipping at each other. It was their way of checking on the other. If one failed to join the banter, they knew they were out of sorts and the group would try to discover why and to help their friend. They were not the most loving or close group, but they looked out for their own.

"You're just jealous that I don't need to spend hours at a time to look good." Scor yawned and stretched as if to prove the casual good looks he possessed were as simple as rolling out of bed. Bernadette chimed in.

"Just because we take the time to work on our appearance…." But Persephone cut her off.

"It's good to see you feeling better, Scor. We were worried about you last night." At this, he raised an eyebrow and smirked. The girls smiled. Just then, the other two boys made their appearance.

"Thank the lord. We were growing roots waiting for you." Said Bernadette and the banter began again in earnest.

* * *

Scor sat chewing on a piece of toast. He was listening to Oz and Bernadette discuss the advantages potions versus charms or spells. Every once in a while, someone else would make a comment, but this was not a group that functioned well in the morning. They all took awhile to wake up fully.

Without really thinking, Scorpius looked up at the Gryfindor table. He saw the Potter boys, a number of Weasleys and Blain. He scanned further down and saw the younger students, but as he looked he saw no dark mahogany in the crowd. The youngest Potter was absent.

Before he had time to really contemplate where she might be, his head of house passed him a schedule. He groaned, he had double potions first thing with the Gryfindors. He also had transfiguration with them later that week. At least history of magic and herbology were with the Hufflepuffs. They were an easy enough group to get along with. He sighed. By the looks on his friends faces, they agreed, it was going to be a very long day.

* * *

The only good thing that came from classes with Gryfindors was that Blain was there. He sat with Scor about half of the time and he sat with Albus the other half. Today, he was with Scorpius. They sat in the back, where they could talk a bit more freely. They picked a smaller table so only two of them were there. It allowed them to talk without being overheard.

"So Lily says that you were the one that saved her hide on the train. James was hopping mad when she first hit him." Blain was looking down as he talked. He was chopping his ingredients very carefully. Potions class was not his strong suit.

"I didn't do anything. She just ran in and jumped up in the luggage rack, and I certainly didn't want Potter looking through my stuff."

"But you let a Potter hide in your stuff?" Blain was laughing.

"I didn't know she was a Potter at the time."

Blain smiled and shook his head. "They really aren't that bad you know. You might even like them if you gave them a chance. Albus is quiet just like you. You are like two peas in a pod really."

"Bite your tongue. If I hear that kind of talk from you again, I will hex you into next week."

"Temper temper Scor. I was just thinking out loud. Sorry." Blain was looking down, checking that he was adding the right ingredients. "SO how was the rest of your summer?"

"Pretty boring once you left. How was life at the Famous Potter household? Lots of signed photos and articles?"

Blain smiled. "Nah, we pretty much played quidditch and took Lily to get her wand. Man I never saw such an excited kid. She's full of energy that one. I was talking to her about the spell she used on James. Turns out that when the boys went off to school, and she was left alone, she would take out their old school books and practice all the spells. She didn't have a wand or anything, but she would pretend. You should see some of the stuff she can do. I think she is going to give James a run for his money in the prank department."

Despite himself, Scorpius leaned in closer to hear the story. Blain continued, "When we were at the house last summer, James tried to prank her. He put a gnome in her bed. It is a pretty childish prank for James, but we are talking about his baby sister. So anyways, the next day, James goes to put his shoes on and something bites his toe. He was yelling to bring down the house. Somehow the gnome shark and found his way into James' shoe. Of course no one could prove it was Lily. She can get away with almost anything. Then she looks at James, completely innocent looking, and says, 'It must be a new breed of gnome. The incredible shrinking gnome. I'd watch out if I were you James. They seem to like your feet.' I never laughed so hard in my life."

Scorpius found himself smiling at the idea of the tiny Gnome in the shoe. He and Blain talked a bit more before it was time to move onto the next class. It had been amazingly entertaining in class and he felt ready to tackle the day.

By lunch, he was ready for a break though. His brain felt ready to explode. Why did teachers insist on homework the first day back. He sighed and picked up his sandwich. He looked up to see the astonished faces of his friends. Before he could ask what was going on, he saw a plate appear next to his, followed by two little hands. The whole hall seemed quiet. He turned his head to see who was sitting next to him and his eyes met copper fire.


	5. Drifting Friendships

Scorpius stared at the copper eyes. They smiled at him and winked. His brain seemed to be mush and he began to wonder if he was seeing things. All around him, people had stopped eating. It was completely silent. His friends sat in awed silence staring at the young girl that sat down. The world stopped for a brief second and then the buzzing started.

Scorpius could hear it all around. People were whispering all around him. He saw some glance their way and quickly look away. His befuddled brain still did not seem to be working. The copper eyes continued to twinkle and a small hand reached out to shake his. He was too stunned to do anything but shake her hand.

No Potter, or Gryfindor for that matter, had ever just invited themselves to sit at the Slytherin table. Not even Blain had tried that. He and Scor saw each other during classes or in the library. Sometimes they passed while finding their seats, but never had they sat down for a meal together while at school.

"Hi. I never did get to introduce myself. I'm Lily Potter. Sorry to interrupt, but I just wanted to thank you again for helping me out on the train. I knew James wouldn't search your compartment too hard, and all he really needed was a chance to calm down. After I left, I realized that I knew your name but I had never told you mine and I didn't want you to think I was rude. I mean I shouted goodbye to you but never introduced myself. I would have come by sooner but it has just been so busy today, I mean homework and classes and you being older, I mean I never knew where to find you to talk to you. I guess I could have asked Al since he has some classes with you, but then I thought you had to eat sometime and I would just talk to you then. I was so glad you walked in when you did because I was almost done and I have to run. Can you believe they give homework on the first day? Anyways, I just wanted to thank you again."

All of this came in a single breath. Scorpius started open mouthed at the young girl. She didn't even seem to notice the stares and the murmurings. She sat, completely at ease. It clicked that she was waiting for an answer. He searched his brain for what to say. He could barely remember what she had said to him. Something about thanking him again he thought.

"Umm, no problem." That seemed to work for an answer. She smiled at him, and he blinked at her. He watched as she stood up from the table, leaving a half finished sandwich on her plate.

"Well, maybe I'll see you around. It was nice talking to you." She waved at him and his friends. With a bounce, she walked out of the Great Hall.

Bernadette was the first to recover, "What was that all about?"

Everyone was still in shock. Scorpius turned to her with a stunned expression, "I have no idea." He seemed to realize that people were still muttering all around him. He shook his head and placed a scowl on his face. As he glared at students around the room, the mutterings ceased. Persephone frowned at her friends.

"What was she thinking coming over here to the snake pit?"

"Well no one ever said Gryfindors were smart, just that they were brave." Grayson said and the table laughed. This seemed to ease the tension. Oz looked at them all and smiled.

"I bet her brothers put her up to it. Probably a bet that she couldn't make it out alive or something. I bet it was payback for the hair stunt she pulled." Scorpius thought about, yes that was something James would do. He was up for anything to get people talking. Scor frowned. Just one more thing for people to talk about. One more feather in the famous Potter cap.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. She had shown up with no warning, in front of tons of people, and his brain had turned to mush. He had not known what to say. Now she probably thought that he was ready to join one of the Potter fanclubs because he had not told her off.

Now he would have damage control to deal with. Half the school was already buzzing with talk about how he had been approached by a Potter. The fact that all he had done was nod stupidly would not help. He hadn't even given her his trademark scowl.

He frowned down at his food. He was no longer hungry but he did not want anyone to think that a little Potter brat had affected him in any way. He picked up his food and chewed slowly. He mentally sighed; it was turning out to be a really long day.

* * *

A few days passed before Blain cornered him. He was on his way from the dungeons. He had dropped off some of his books before dinner. The others had ducked into a classroom whispering excitedly. This left Scor all alone. They had passed a group of second year Hufflepuffs, so Scor had left them to plot some mischief. As he rounded a corner, Blain grabbed his arm. 

"So is it true? You got friendly with a Potter?"

Scorpius glared at him. If looks could kill, Blain would have dropped dead. "Not a chance. She caught me unawares. Besides, I couldn't get a word in edgewise. In the few minutes she talked to me, I think she closed her mouth once."

That was a bit of a stretch. He knew that if he had been thinking properly, all he really would have done was scowl and ignore her. Blain knew tat too and he laughed. "That's Lily for you. If she is excited, she goes a mile a minute. We haven't had a moment's peace in the common room all day. You should have heard her go on about the flying lessons planned for next week. She's really good at that. Probably better than her dad. I wouldn't be surprised if she ends up on the quidditch team this year."

"Great, one more thing for them to talk about. She'll be swimming in attention by the end of the month. Just what we need, three Potters with big heads."

Blain frowned at him. "You know, they aren't like that at all. I really think you would like them if you got to know them. James can be annoying, but he doesn't do any of that stuff for attention, he does it for a laugh. And Al is the most grounded person I know. He never even knew his dad was a hero until he started going to school. And Lily, well she is like a ray of sunshine. She just makes everyone feel good about themselves. She doesn't do that for attention, she does it because she likes people."

"Whatever." Scorpius just shook his head. Blain was a Gryfindor, so naturally he would defend other Gryfindors. They may not plan for the attention, but they got it. Scorpius got attention, but he had to do something truly outstanding to get it, and it irked him that James and Albus did nothing to get the same recognition. It wasn't fair.

Blain sighed. "OK, I'll drop it, but just remember, we could see a lot more of each other if you would at least try to talk to them. You might find you enjoy their company more than your other friends. That's what I found."

Scorpius just rolled his eyes. Blain gave him a sad smile. "Well, I just wanted to check on the rumors. I'll see you around Scor." Blain turned and was gone.

As he walked to dinner, Scorpius thought about what Blain had said. It was true that Blain hung out with them less and less. He spent more time with Scor than any of the others and he seemed to leave quickly when the whole group was together.

As he entered the Great Hall, he looked to the Gryfindor table. They always seemed to be laughing and having a good time. Friends patted each other on the back. Blain was laughing at something Al was saying. It was loud and obnoxious looking over at them all. They never seemed to take anything seriously. What was Blain thinking? He was content where he was, with his friends.

He looked to the Slytherin table. It was calm and demur. Sure, friends were talking and having a good time, but they were a more reserved group. They did not shout across the room at each other. But that didn't mean they didn't have fun.

Scor sat down. He glanced once more at Blain. Blain looked up and caught his eye. There was still a sad smile on his face. It was almost like Blain was starting to give up on his friend. Scorpius felt cold as he sat down, but he lifted his head and broke eye contact with Blain. He would not let Blain see the effect his sad smile made on Scor. He looked up to see his friends arrive and he lost himself in conversation.

Later that night, he had trouble falling asleep. He thought back to last year. It seemed that Blain had made huge efforts last year to spend time with the Slytherins. He had waited for them in hall ways. He had even poked his head in after classes. He had walked with them and really tried to show them he was still their friend.

Scor was already noticing a difference. He had not stopped the group in the halls once. He had raced from Potions class to meet up with his other friends. He was making an effort with Scor, but no one else seemed to care that Blain was not around as much. He felt Blain pulling away. He talked to Scor less and less about secrets and such. Now it was banter, and small talk, and rumors.

Scor felt his chest tighten. Now it seemed that his best friend was slowly pulling away. Blain was becoming a full Gryfindor. He was making new friends, and he was leaving Scor behind to fend for himself. Scorpius felt a deep sense of loss as he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

A/N Please note I work for reviews. It helps me know what I am doing well and what I need to work on. I think that the next few chapters will focus on Blain pulling away and Lily inserting herself into the picture. I don't know if people would just as soon I get on with the Lily friendship rather than focus on his previous friendships. Let me know your thoughts. Thanks 


	6. All ABout a Bludger

It had been a few weeks since Blain had teased him about the Potters. Scorpius was getting restless. He wanted answers. Blain had not tracked him down since that day when he had asked about Lily. Sure, they still talked during class, and they waved or smiles across the Great Hall, but that was it. Conversations were mundane. They had both felt the shift in their friendship, but they didn't know what it meant. Neither wanted to admit the change, but it was there.

It was irritating though, to watch his friend and former confident so happy while Scorpius was not. He was noticing the differences in their circle of friends. Yes, Blain and Scor were friends, and they had shared many secrets over the years but now there was a change. When they had been younger, there were fewer students with Blain's temperament. The two were opposites, but they had each other and that was enough.

Now, Blain was surrounded by people who all laughed with him and talked with him. Scorpius had been replaced. It had not happened all at once. It was subtle and gradual. The part that hurt the most was not that he had been replaced, but by whom he was replaced by.

You no longer saw Blain out alone very often. No, now he was always out with Albus Potter. It wasn't enough that teachers fawned over him; no he had to go and take the one person whom Scorpius could confide in. In the back of his mind, he knew that it would have happened eventually. They were just too different. But it was a Potter that took his place nonetheless.

Yes, Blain was slowly replacing Scor, but Scor had no one to replace Blain with. Yes he had friends, but none of them inspired confidence. Grayson would use any information as blackmail if it would gain him something. Oz was, well, Oz. He was off in his world most of the time and looked up to Scorpius. He needed an equal, not a puppy.

The girls were protective, but they also despised weakness of any sort and they saw needed another to confide in as a weakness. Also, anything they heard would be around the school in minutes. They may have been protective of their friends, but that didn't mean they wouldn't talk about their friends with others.

Looking around at the other Slytherins did not help his mood. To make matters worse, that damn Potter girl had taken to waving at him in public. Even his most evil glare was no deterrent. If he didn't remedy the problem soon, his reputation as the bad ass of Slytherin would be ruined. With all this waving and smiling at him, people were picking up on the fact that he did not go around hexing everyone in sight, he just happened to hang out with the group that did it the most. It would not do. She was becoming a thorn in his side and he didn't even know her.

Only one bright spot stood out in the last few weeks; the results of the Slytherin quidditch try outs. Scorpius was the new seeker for the Slytherin team. He had found out just this morning. He knew that this would make his father proud. His father had been a seeker during his time at school. While outside he looked calm and cool, inside he couldn't wait to write and tell his parents. They were not the most affectionate family, but they did care for one another and his parents made it a point to praise him when he was excited about something.

It was lunch time and Scorpius was making his way up to the owlery to send a letter home. As he was calling down his eagle owl, Aries, he heard someone slip in.

"Bludger, are you awake." Scorpius heard a soft voice calling amongst the owls. With Aries on his arm, he walked to the window and released him. When he turned around, he found himself face to face with one of his current problems.

Lily Potter stood before him with a small smile and twinkling eyes. "Scorpius Malfoy, fancy meeting you here."

"Potter." He wanted to say something, but he didn't know what to say. For weeks he had wanted to tell her off for ruining an image he had worked very hard to achieve, and yet with her in front of him, he didn't know what to say. Before he could say another word, something shot through the window and landed on her arm.

It was not an owl. Scorpius looked down to see a full grown peregrine falcon perched on her arm. "What the hell!" It had startled him and he backed up quickly.

She looked at him, confused. "What? It's only a falcon."

"Yes, but what is it doing on your arm?"

"Scorpius, I would like you to meet Bludger."

If a falcon could glare, Scorpius was sure that Bludger was doing so right now. His head moved quickly and two sets of copper eyes started at him. It was startling to see the falcon and the girl with matching eyes. For a minute he forgot that he was standing here with a girl he had sworn to tell off the moment he had a chance. He stared at this fierce creature and all he could feel was curiosity.

"Where did you find a falcon? Don't you have an owl?"

She smiled, softly stroking the falcon's head. "I was visiting my dad at the ministry one day. Dad was showing me the visitors entrance but before we could go in, I saw something falling above me. It was Bludger. I guess his mum had a nest up there. I guess he fell out. I couldn't leave him there, and Aunt Hermione told me that his mum might not take him back because I had touched him and he had my smell. Dad brought me to see Hagrid and he helped me learn to take care of Bludger. When he was old enough, I tried to release him, but he wouldn't leave me. He's been with me ever since."

"So you trained him like an owl?"

"No. He likes to be with me as often as possible. One day I was writing to my cousin, and when I went to put the letter on our owl at home, Bludger bit me. I tried again and he bit me again. After the second bite, I figured it out. He doesn't let me use other birds. Dad figures he thinks I'm his and doesn't want another bird taking care of me." She started to tie her letter to the falcon's leg. The falcon was still keeping a close watch on Scorpius so he increased his distance ever so slightly.

"So why did you name him Bludger?"

Little Potter laughed. It was a happy carefree laugh and Scorpius found himself smiling. "Because he fell out of the sky right at me, just like a Bludger. Would you like to pet him?"

Scorpius backed up a little bit more. "I don't think he wants me to."

"Aw, he won't hurt you, not if I say it's OK."

"Maybe next time." Potter shrugged and took the falcon to the window.

"Off you go. I bet Mum has treats." With a quick look at Scorpius, the falcon flew off.

Potter turned to look at him. Before he could say anything else, a voice called out, "Lily…Lily Potter, are you up here?"

"Shoot, that's Lor. I forgot I told him I would meet him after lunch. It was good to see you Malfoy." She smiled at him and she was off like a shot.

He was half way down the stairs when he realized something. _Damn it, I forgot to tell her off_


	7. Of Quidditch and Quills

The next few weeks flew by. The quidditch captain, Patricia Flint, had a truly cruel streak. She was not known for her brains, but more for her brawn. She was a big girl and was one of the team beaters. Few people wanted to go head to head with Patricia. She was a fifth year and this was her first year as captain. She took it very seriously because it was one of the few things she was really good at.

She took it so seriously in fact, that the team was feeling worn out. They practiced almost every morning. If she could get the pitch, she had them out every evening as well. When they could not be on the pitch (the other teams were complaining that it was never available, so they had had to cut back on field time) they were going over strategies and game plans, looking at every team.

Scor and the rest of the team were exhausted. He had enough energy to eat and to quickly complete his homework and to fall asleep. Conversations buzzed around him, but he took no part. He just didn't have the energy. His friends were starting to worry. If he would have looked up, he would have noticed that they were not the only ones. Blain was glancing his way, but he made no attempt to talk to hunt him down. Scorpius was already tired after morning practice. He leaned forward nibbling a piece of toast.

Despite his exhaustion, Scor found himself scanning the owls as they dropped morning post. He was looking for a falcon amongst the many feathers and wings. He didn't know why. He had just been fascinated with the fierce bird. It had been strange, for that little space of time, he had had a conversation with a Potter, and he had enjoyed it. He had forgotten who he was talking to and for the brief moment, he had been comfortable with her.

He shook his head, obviously lack of sleep was affecting his brain. With a flutter of wings, the owls descended and he found himself again scanning birds. No sign of copper eyes. He found himself glancing over at the Gryfindor table as well. There was no sign of copper eyes there either. He frowned.

With no sign of the falcon, Scorpius had taken to checking the Gryfindor table for signs of his mistress. He had looked over every morning for a week, but he had yet to see her. It was strange because the rest of her family all seemed to be there. Where could she be?

He didn't have a chance to ponder the question because just then Oswald grabbed his arm. It was time for morning classes. As he dragged himself out of his seat, Scorpius could only think _Thank God It's Friday!_

Classes seemed to drag on. At least he didn't have any classes with Gryfindors today. He didn't think he was up to small talk with Blain. As he packed himself off to bed that night, he thought it was probably a good thing he didn't have the close friends Blain did. He just didn't have the time. This train of thought didn't go far though because he was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

The next day was Saturday, but their demented captain just saw this as a way to extend morning practice. By the end, Scor was too tired to even make it to breakfast with the rest of the exhausted team. They were really going to have to confront Patricia and soon. If she kept up this pace, they wouldn't be able to practice, never mind play a game.

It was cold out, but the sun was shining. In a few weeks, the snow would start and he would not be able to do this. He lay down on the grass and closed his eyes. The sun felt good on his face. He was too comfortable to move even when a chill gust of wind sprang up every now and then.

He didn't know how long he lay there, but soon he heard a voice. It seemed vaguely familiar but his brain was not able to process it right now.

"Just hold on a minute, I'm almost done."

Scorpius sighed and smiled as the peace began again. The sun felt so good. He was almost asleep when he heard the voice again.

"Bludger, give me a minute. I know you want to go, but I'm almost done.

His eyes popped open. He sat up and turned around. There was a large tree over the hill and next to it sat a small redhead with a falcon on her arm. Scorpius stood up and quietly walked over to see Lily Potter.

She sat with her back against a tree. She had something I her lap. It looked like she might be writing in a diary, but something didn't seem quite right. She didn't seem to notice him approach. He walked up behind her and glanced at the book in her lap and found his face staring back at him.

Lily whirled around with a gasp and she slammed the book closed. He watched her go red in the face as she scrambled to hide the book behind her back.

"Damn, you scared me."

"Sorry." Scorpius smirked at her. She was kind of funny when she was embarrassed. "So do you want to explain why I seem to be in your diary? I don't remember my picture being taken."

She looked confused, "My diary? You mean this?" She pulled out the book.

"Yes that." She seemed to gain her composure.

"This is not a diary. These are my sketches."

As soon as she said it she got red again and the book went back behind her back.

"Like you drew them?" He was confused. He never pictured the spitfire to have the patience to sit down and draw. "Can I see?" Again, rather than giving her a piece of his mind, he found himself intrigued. First a falcon, now an artist.

She slowly slid the book out fro behind her back and held up the drawing she had been working on. It was Scorpius riding his broom. He realized that she had a pretty good view of the pitch from this spot. He wasn't sure what to say. The picture was really good. You could almost feel the wind on the pictures face. He did the first thing that came to mind, he made a joke to cover his emotion.

"I didn't know I had a stalker Potter. I don't know if I should be flattered or scared that you have a book full of my pictures." He smirked.

That seemed to pull her out of her embarrassed state. She rolled her eyes. "Don't go getting a big head. You just happen to be on this page. There is more to this world than you Malfoy." She handed the book over.

The pages were filled with pictures. There were people, animals, the castle and numerous other drawings. Each looked as if the picture was breathing. They did not move like the Hogwarts paintings, but they seemed to have a life on their own. It was amazing to see. He handed the book back.

"You're really good." He saw no reason to lie. She was really good.

"Thanks." She took the book and sat down with Bludger. Scor sat down next to her.

"You're friends must really like them."

"Actually, you're the first to see those." That seemed odd. She must be surrounded by people all the time. Surely her friends would have seen them. She seemed to know what he was thinking.

"My family knows. They think I'm pretty good, but it isn't something I show around. This is something for me. I like to come out here in the mornings with some breakfast and just sketch. It helps relax me." She tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear and turned and smiled at him. He found himself smiling back.

"So that's why you are never at breakfast. You know after seeing all your energy, I would have never pictured you being the sort to just come and sit quietly for an hour." She laughed at this.

"I know, I can be overly enthusiastic. But everyone needs a break from energy. I love being a Gryfindor, but it feels like we are always moving and talking and laughing. I need this time for myself." Scorpius just nodded. He understood.

He leaned back against the tree as Lily pulled out her book and continued to sketch. "Do you mind if I just sit. I'm exhausted." Lily smiled and nodded. They didn't talk, just sat in silence. He closed his eyes and listened to the sounds of her paper and her sighs when she wasn't happy with how the sketch was looking. He listened to the contented murmur when something looked good. The whole time, Bludger never left her shoulder.

They sat there for almost an hour before Lily started to gather her things up. He was startled to realize that he had just spent the most relaxing moments of his third year with a Potter. The thought made him chuckle out loud. Lily looked at him.

"I was just thinking, who would have ever pictured a Malfoy sitting with a Potter and actually enjoying each others company."

She smiled. "You are welcome to join me any time, though I may have to find somewhere indoors when it starts to rain."

She stood up. He looked surprised. "You're leaving?"

"Yeah, I promised some friends I would work on potions stuff with them and I have to finish some homework."

Scorpius was shocked at the disappointment he felt. He shook it off. This was Potter he was talking about. Lack of sleep was definitely rotting his brain.

"But I'll be here tomorrow. Same time same place. You are always welcome."

Scorpius found himself smiling at her. The disappointment lifted. He tried to sleep in on Sundays because it was his one day off for quidditch, but he found himself nodding his head. "I may just wander down."

Lily gave him a grin. She turned to head to the castle, with Bludger now flying ahead of her. At the top of the hill she turned and waved and then she was gone. Scor sat a few more minutes. He was enjoying the peace, but he realized that he too would need to go to the castle. He had a mountain of homework to do.

He had just made it into the Slytherin common room when he was assaulted by Grayson.

"Where have you been? The team has been looking all over for you."

Scorpius gave Grayson an annoyed look. "I was trying to rest after that damn workout."

"Well, you will want to hear the news."

"What news?"

When he Grayson finally spit it out, Scorpius stared at him with wide eyes. _Great. Just great. Damn Potters! _


	8. Hexing Malfoy

The next morning, Scorpius was out of bed early. He didn't really know when Lily was going to be out there but he didn't want to miss her. He got dressed quietly hoping not to wake the others. He grabbed his cloak and was outside within minutes. It really was very peaceful he realized as he walked towards the tree.

The air was cold and he wished that he had thought to grab something warm to drink. His stomach growled and he wished that he had grabbed some breakfast as well. He had just wanted to get down here. He had something he wanted to talk to Lily about. There was no one at the tree, so he sat down to wait.

It wasn't long before he heard the sound of a falcon. Suddenly Bludger came into view. He landed on a branch above Scorpius' head. Scor watched as Lily followed behind. When she saw him she smiled.

"Glad to see you could make it." She set her shoulder bag on the ground. "Stand up a sec." Scor gave her a confused look but stood up. She took a blanket off the top of her bag and laid it down so they could sit.

"I get cold easily." She sat down and waited for him to do the same. He did, but before she could say anything else, he spoke.

"So why didn't you say anything yesterday?"

It was now Lily's turn to look confused. "About what?"

"About the fact that you were chosen to be the new Gryfindor seeker. I mean it's bad enough, all the attention you guys get, but you had to be good at quidditch too?" He was irritated and he didn't really know why.

"What are you talking about? Yes I am the new seeker, but what's wrong with that?" He could see that she was starting to get angry. "And what's this crap about attention seeking?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. You and your brothers sneeze and it hits the papers. You perform a spell and they act like you preformed a miracle. Now you have to go and try out to be on the quidditch team and you get on in your first year because you are a Potter! I worked for three years to get on my team and all you do is walk in there and you get a spot!" He had stood up and was now yelling at her.

"Excuse me, are you kidding? I practiced every day I could to EARN a spot on that team. I wasn't handed a spot. In fact, they tested me twice just to prove I was better than the others trying out. I'm sorry I didn't have to wait three years to get on the team, but it doesn't mean I didn't deserve it!" Lily was now standing and yelling as well.

Scorpius glanced up to the sky for patience. As he did, he spotted the quidditch pitch. His voice grew cold, "So that's why you've been down here in the mornings." His icy eyes started into her fiery copper ones. "You were spying for your team. You wanted to see what you could find out before you played Slytherin. That's why you sit here and draw us playing!"

She followed her gaze. She became stiff and for once her eyes lost their spark. Instead they went cold. Her voice was low and controlled. "You think that I was watching you practice? You think that's the only reason I come out here? And you think Potter's are full of themselves. I can assure you that you were the last reason I came out here. I came out here to find peace, not to have it disturbed."

She sat back down. "By the way, I revoke my invitation to sit with me while I draw." And with that she turned her head away from him. He was in shock. He had expected more yelling, more denial, but nothing came. All he got was silence. He was angry, he wasn't finished yet! He walked around the tree so she had to look at him again. She looked up.

What he saw floored him. Tears leaked from her eyes, but she made no move to wipe them away. It was almost as if she thought if she ignored them, he wouldn't see them. He cleared his thought, now at a loss for words. This seemed to be the sound to set her off. She was on her feet again.

"I'm warning you, it will be best if you leave now Malfoy." He cringed at the venom in her voice. He didn't move. He couldn't. His feet felt rooted to the ground. "I can guarantee that the daughter of an auror knows a few hexes, and right now I want you gone!"

A threat was not taken lightly by Malfoy. He smirked. "Oh and what is a little first year going to do to me? Do you honestly think that will scare me?"

Before he could say anything, Lily had spun towards him with her wand raised. All of a sudden, he was being attacked by vicious bats. She had unleashed the bat-boogy hex. He tried to fight them off, but they were everywhere. He didn't know what to do. He swatted at them and started firing with his wand. Through the haze of bat wings, he saw a small red head run over the hill and out of sight.

It took ten minutes for him to finally gain control of the hex and by now he was angry. More than angry, he was pissed off. This little girl had just bested him and had wounded his pride. He told himself that she had attacked him because he had been right about her spying and she had done it to spite him.

But the voice in the back of his mind told him that she had spoken the truth and he had deserved what he got. Now, at dinner, he looked up to see her head quickly turn away from his direction, but not before he received a death glare. He looked down at his hands. _Good going Scor. You managed to lose two friends this year._

His head snapped up. Did he just say friend? Did he really think of a girl he barely knew as a friend? He thought for a moment. Yes he did. He had found a friend, and he had screwed it up royally. He looked at her again. He knew, deep down, that he had attacked because of pride. Now he knew he was going to have to swallow that pride and find a way to apologize. He swallowed hard. He wasn't sure where to start. But it had better be soon. He was not in the mood for another of Lily Potter's hexes.


	9. What I Owe a Potter

Scorpius' family had taught him many things. Growing up he had only the best tutors. His father had taught him to fly. He had been taught how to act around those in authority as well as how to control him emotions. These things had served him well at Hogwarts, but now he found there were things missing from his education. Scorpius Malfoy had been taught to never apologize and now that he found it was the one skill he needed.

He didn't know where to begin. It wasn't her fault that everyone worshiped the ground her father walked on. She wasn't like her brothers, lapping up the attention every chance they got. He had had only a few conversations with the younger girl, and yet those had been some of the most relaxing times he could remember. It was no excuse for yelling at the one person who actually seemed to want to spend time with him.

He raked his hand through his hair and laid his head on the table in frustration. How do you go against everything you were taught? How do you go about apologizing to someone for the first time? He closed his eyes. This was something he used to ask Blain about. It was something he would have even considered talking to Lily about; well if it wasn't Lily he was trying to apologize to.

The week had been a long one. Every time he made eye contact with Lily, she had given him a death glare. His Slytherin friends were noticing that something was up and he was not sure how to explain it to them. They would be about as understanding as his father. It was true Blain was a Gryfindor, but he had been part of the group before school so they eventually accepted him.

Lily was a Potter. She was a true Gryfindor, so that was two strikes against her in their book. Merlin, what was he going to do? He wanted… oh he didn't know what he wanted. Maybe that was the problem. He wanted to make his father proud, he wanted his friends to go back to just spending time with him without the looks or the questions of "How are you holding up?" He wanted his friendship with Blain to go back to the way it had been. And Lily? He wanted her to forgive him so he could just go and sit at the tree with her again.

He had gone down to the tree every morning before and after practice. He had even been late to practice and Patricia had ripped him a new one. Lily never showed. There was no sign of a falcon either, so he didn't think she was near the area. For Pete's sake, he was thirteen. Things should not be this hand!

He held his head on his hands. At least the library was quiet and no one disturbed him here. His friends avoided the library most of the time. They were more inclined to work in the common room away from other students. It was unusually quiet today, but Scorpius didn't mind. It gave him time to think.

It was quiet, and yet he didn't hear the footsteps coming from behind him. When a hand rested on his shoulder, Scorpius jumped out of his chair and had his wand out within seconds. His wand was inches from Blain's face.

For once, he wasn't smiling at the sight of his friend. "Scor? Is everything OK? I've been watching you for weeks now, and you don't look good."

Scorpius almost laughed. After weeks and weeks of small talk and ignoring each other, now Blain decides to come talk to him. The stress of the weeks came cracking down and Scorpius gave into the laugher, but there was no joy in it.

"What do you care? You've been off with your precious friend Potter. In fact, he's probably wondering where you are now." He knew he wasn't being fair to Blain. He hadn't made any effort to track Blain down, so he was just as guilty as Blain for their lack of contact. But he was angry. His third year was turning out to be awful and it was easy to take out his frustrations on Blain.

"Look, I'm sorry. I was angry at you. I... well I was tired of always having to come visit you. I mean, I don't really get along with the others, not really. I was hoping that you had gotten over your Potter thing so that you could come over and visit with me there for once."

Blain was staring at the floor. He was proud, and this admission must be taking a lot, and yet Scorpius didn't say anything.

"I know that is no excuse for not trying harder. I mean we were friends for so many years, and I just let that go. I'm sorry. I pushed when I shouldn't have. I just want you to know, if you need something, I am still your friend."

Scorpius looked at his friend, and suddenly their rift seemed so stupid. They were fighting because they didn't like the other's friends. It had nothing to do with their friendship but with their personalities. Scorpius looked at Blain. He had swallowed his pride and had apologized. If his friend could do it for him he could do it for his friend. Besides, his father always said practice makes perfect. If you needed to learn to apologize, why not practice. Scorpius put his hand on Blain's shoulder and took a deep breath. Blain looked up,

"I'm sorry too. It was stupid." It was all that needed to be said. No more words and they knew they were going to be OK. It might never be the way it was, but it was a step in the right direction. Blain and Scor sat down at the library table.

"So you gonna tell me what's been going on these last few weeks?"

Scorpius laughed quietly. "I'm sure you're going to believe it. I think I may be trying to befriend a Potter." He laughed again at Blain's wide eyed expression. It was almost comical. He felt a weight lift from his shoulders. It was good to have his friend back. He began to tell him about his meetings with Lily Potter.

At the end of his tale, Blain was looking at him was a comical expression. "You are definitely in a pickle. Trust me; she is not someone you want to be on the bad side of. She knows some really advanced hexes for her age."

"Yeah I noticed. How did she learn them all. I mean she is only a first year and she pulled off a perfect bat bogey hex." Scorpius grimaced, remembering the hex.

"You know, I asked her about that. Turns out that she would sneak spell books out of storage. I mean her parents old ones and some of James' and Al's old books and she would practice them for hours. She didn't have a wand, but by the time she made it on the train, she knew a ton of spells. She's really advanced for her year, but because she is advanced, she is having a real hard time. I guess they all figure she could do those without practice, so when she tells her friends she needs to practice spells and do her homework, they laugh and say "yeah right." It's nothing harsh, just really annoying I guess."

"No wonder she was looking for a quiet place."

Scor and Blain sat quietly in their own thoughts for a while. Then Scor spoke up.

"So why did you come to find me today? I mean I've looked awful for weeks. Why now?"

Blain smiled again. "Well it was a Potter that convinced me I was being a bit of a prat."

"A Potter?"

"Well, Lily came to me with some advice her dad gave her. When we start school, we make new friends, and those are new and different so sometimes we spend more time with those new friends and we forget about the friends we already have. He told her it was important to make new friends, but to continue to work on the friendships you already have. It is all a balancing act. So when I told her I had noticed a change in you, she encouraged me to come talk to you so here I am."

Scorpius was silent. It seemed he owed her an apology as well as thanks now. Before he and Blain could continue their conversations, there was a slamming of doors. In the next moment, Scorpius had a wand shoved in his face and he was met with the very angry eyes of Albus Potter.


	10. Losing Control

A/N: I just went through and reread the chapters so far and I have noticed a few silly grammatical and spelling mistakes. I am going through and fixing these minor errors, but the content should remain the same. Again, thanks to those of you who are reviewing. I am glad to hear people are enjoying the story.

Deep emerald eyes met pale icy blue. It took no time for Scorpius to reach for his wand, but before he could, Blain stepped between the two. You could feel the anger radiating from the two. Albus' voice was cold. He spoke with a quiet, steady voice.

"Blain, step aside. Malfoy and I have something to… discuss." The last word was filled with absolute venom. It was then that Scorpius noticed that Al's hand was shaking slightly and he didn't think it was fear. Scor's face was a mask as he raised his wand to Al.

"Really Potter? And what could I have to 'discuss' with you?" He was calm, and he knew how to manipulate a situation. He was not worried about Albus. Blain didn't move from between the two.

"Where are your 'friends' Malfoy?" Al spat out the word 'friends' and his eyes became slits. Scorpius was very confused, but apparently, so was Blain.

"Al, what's wrong? Calm down, Scor hasn't done anything to you. Just lower the wand."

Albus laughed a quiet, low laugh. It sent chills down Scorpius' spine. "Hasn't done anything? Tell that to Lily."

Blain was trying desperately to defuse the situation. "I just talked to Scor about Lily. All he did was yell a little bit. She can take care of herself. That is no reason to come in like this. Just calm down."

Albus turned and focused his eyes on Blain for a split second. Scor saw Blain flinch before those emerald orbs were focused back on him. "Where were you an half an hour ago?"

Scorpius now saw this had nothing to do with a week ago. Something was very wrong. Going against instinct, he lowered his wand. "I've been with Blain, here in the library." He made sure his movements were controlled and that he spoke quietly. Al was acting strangely and he did not want to provoke the obviously upset boy.

Al looked to Blain to confirm this. Blain nodded. Slowly, with untrusting eyes, Al lowered his wand as well. The tension in the room diminished slightly. Al was not done though, and he held his wand firmly in his hand.

"Then I need to know where your other friends are." It was not a request, it was a command. Scorpius did not respond well to commands, but he also was no idiot. Al was looking for a fight and Scorpius was not going to be the one to give it to him. Not in this state anyway.

"No idea. They were studying in the common room when I left them. I assume they are still there."

Al gave a sharp nod. He turned to go, but Blain caught his arm. "Al, what's this about?"

Al gave a sharp look to Scorpius. "I know Lily has been upset lately. And every time she looks your way, or in the direction of the Slytherin table, she looks about ready to murder someone. I figured she would tell me what was wrong when she was ready. But today, at practice, someone decided to…" Albus stopped. He seemed unable to continue. He ripped his arm out of Blain's grip.

"Look, I have to go. Lily…" Scorpius was startled to see Al so shaken. He was starting to feel his chest pound in fright. What had happened to Lily? He raced in front of Al to block his exit. His eyes were wide. He grabbed Al's shoulders and pressed his face close to the other boy's.

"What happened to Lily?" Al's eyes seemed to focus on Scorpius for a second. He looked surprised that Scorpius was asking about Lily.

"You really don't know do you?" This seemed to shock Al as much as Scorpius' concern for his sister.

"No I don't! Tell me!" His voice was getting louder and he gave Al a small shake. Moments ago he had been so happy, reunited with a friend, and now he felt cold. And scared. It was a new emotion for him to be scared for another person. Sure, he had been afraid of monsters under the bed, and scared of things that might hurt him, but never scared for the safety and well being of another. He felt himself beginning to lose control.

"Someone hit her broom with a Duro spell. Mum and Dad haven't sent her new broom to the school yet, so she has been practicing on one of the old school brooms. I guess the protective spells on the broom have worn down. She was really high up. When her broom turned to stone…. She… she... fell. Straight down. No one could do anything. By the time we realized what had happened, she was on the ground and not moving." Tears were now leaking out of Al's eyes.

Scorpius dropped his hands. He felt numb. He barely registered Blain's gasp or the fact that Blain was placing a comforting arm around Al's shoulders. It felt like he was disconnected from his body. Blain's voice was far away. "Is she OK?"

"Madam Pomfry has her right now. She isn't letting anyone in."

Scorpius seemed to snap out of it. She was in the hospital wing. Without thinking, his feet started to move. He hit the library door running full force towards the hospital wing. From the sounds of it, Blain and Albus were right behind him. He ran through groups of students and even knocked some down, but he didn't stop. He shouted a quick apology and kept moving.

He rounded the corner and was almost to the door when he hit a wall. It knocked him back and he came face to face with a wall of very pale, very shaken Gryfindors.


	11. Silent Statues

That knocked him back into reality. He backed up to see the entire Gryfindor quidditch team standing around, along with a few other faces. The entire team comprised of: James Potter- captain and beater, Albus Potter- chaser, Roxanne Weasley- Keeper, Fred Weasley- beater, Rose Weasley- chaser, and Lily Potter- seeker and currently unconscious.

Blain came gasping for breath. He put a hand on Scorpius' shoulder. Scorpius sensed, rather than felt, Al stand on his other side. No one seemed to take much notice of the three. They were all staring at the door in a daze. The hall seemed to be filled with Weasleys.

Dominique and Louis were sitting with their red heads close together. Rose found her way through the crowd and reached down to hold Albus' hand. James Potter sat with his head in his hands. Next to him stood Fred and Roxanne. Two more red heads sat together on the floor. (Later he found out these were more cousins. Molly and Lucy) The youngest Weasley, Hugo, was leaning on the wall looking quite upset. Next to him were the two blond boys Scorpius had seen Lily walk in with during the sorting ceremony. All the faces looked pale.

No one said a word. Scor, Blain, Al and Rose all sat down on a bench. It was odd to look out into a sea of red. And yet none of the shades were exactly the same. They were all similar, but not the same. He looked at them all and felt a ang to see that none of them had hair similar to Lily's. He sat thinking he may not get to see that hair for a long time. The silence continued and three more faces showed up. Blain leaned in close.

"Three of Lily's friends. Xander is the redhead, Marie is the brunette, and Marisol is the blond." Scorpius just leaned his head back and closed his eyes. It had been an hour since she had fallen and still no word. Each second seemed to drag on. No one moved. No one talked. No one seemed to breathe. It was almost as if they were all statues sitting in the hall.

Scorpius finally couldn't take the silence. He nodded towards the two blond boys. "Who are those two?"

Blain looked up. "Oh, those are the twins, Lorcan and Lysander. LoraLy when Lily is trying to be funny."

"They don't look like your typical Gryfindors." He knew it was mundane, but he didn't know what else to say or do. Blain gave a small smile.

"They aren't Gryfindors. They are Ravenclaws like their mum."

"Well then why are they hanging out with Gryfindors?"

"Lily's mum and dad had a friend in school named Luna Lovegood. She was a bit of an odd duck. Still is really. I met her this summer when I went to visit Al. Anyways, Luna went off to search for the Crumpled Snorklack or something like that and left the boys to stay with Harry and Ginny for a few weeks. Lily is named after Luna you know."

Scorpius interrupted, "How do you get Lily out of Luna?"

Blain leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. Albus spoke before Blain could answer. "Her name is Lily Luna Potter." Scorpius looked up in surprise. He had thought Al had forgotten he was here. If the situation wasn't so serious, he would have laughed. When he started this year, he would have recommended a nice long stay at St Mungos for anyone who would have told him he would be getting along with one Potter, never mind two Potters.

Al sat staring at his hands. He spoke quietly. "Lily and Lor and Ly were inseparable this summer. They are a little odd, a little dreamy, but they have been really good friends for her. They don't care about our dad or the family name. They don't ask about his scar or about the war. They let her be Lily. That has been really important to her. Everyone assumes that because Dad is a hero, we know a ton about it or that we were spoiled rotten. Lor and Ly don't care."

Albus sighed and leaned back. He seemed to have run out of words. That was OK with Scorpius, because he didn't know what to say. That was exactly what he had pictured the Potters as. Spoiled little brats that bragged about their dad. No wonder Lily had been so mad when he accused her of seeking attention. They lapsed into silence again.

Everyone looked when they heard footsteps coming down the hall. They were moving fast. A deep voice spoke, "Ginny, I'm sure she's fine. Ginny, stop, just stop!" The last was a command and the footsteps stopped. They heard the voice again. "Just take a deep breath. It won't help anyone if you are that upset. Calm down." After a few minutes, the footsteps started again, but this time they were calmer, more controlled.

By now, Al and James were both standing up. They stood in the center of the hall, looking in the direction of the voices. Around the corner came one of the most famous wizards to ever live.

Harry Potter came forward with confident strides. He was the spitting image of Albus Potter. He was tall and muscular. It was said that if you joined the auror department Harry Potter was out training with you almost every day. He told everyone they had to be prepared for anything, and he took that to heart. He was constantly finding new ways to train the new and old.

He had his arm around a red headed witch that Scor assumed was Lily's mum. Ginny Weasley had been a professional played for the Holyhead Harpies for awhile and now she was a well known quidditch reporter. She was small, but very lean. Her red hair was pulled back to reveal a very agitated face. Harry Potter too had a strained look on his face.

When Ginny saw James and Albus, she ran to them, hugging them hard. It was then the tears came. She cried softly into their shoulders. Harry came up behind her, putting a hand on her back, rubbing slow circles. The low, soothing voice came again. "It's OK. Madam Pomfrey said she was fine. She just needs a little time to recover. Come on, you don't want her to see you crying."

This seemed to calm Ginny down again. She sighed, "I know. She's fine." Ginny took a breath and straightened her shoulders. She wiped the last of the tears away and smiled at the crowd. "She's fine. She is still unconscious and she has a nasty knock on the head, but she's fine."

Fred looked up at the parents. "Well, with Al and James for brothers, a little fall of a broom won't hurt our Lily. I mean, if you can survive those two, you can survive anything. Come to think of it, she probably fell on purpose so she could have a break from them."

James swatted Fred on the back of the head and the group began to laugh. It relieved the tension of the hall, and everyone soon relaxed. Scorpius felt his back unstiffen and his muscles relax. All around him, people were talking. The arrival of Lily's parents and their assurances seemed to bring back life to the group. If they said it was OK, it was OK.

Harry and Ginny Potter hugged family quickly before taking Al and James into see Lily. Harry left with a slight wink. "You know Madam Pomfrey, only a few people at a time. We'll make sure you all get to see her."

With that, they were gone. Scorpius heaved a sigh. He was emotionally drained. Blain seemed to feel the same way. He looked at Scor with tired eyes. "It's a time for family right now. Want to go sneak some food for dinner and come to see her later?" Scorpius nodded and the two were off.

They didn't notice the dark eyes that followed their movements. The eyes glanced back at the infirmary door and narrowed dangerously. "Next time Potter" a voice whispered.


	12. Food and Brothers

The two friends wandered down the halls. It was then that Scorpius remembered his books. Everything had been left in the library, including all the homework he had been working on for two days off and on. The boys changed course and were soon on their way to the library.

Amazingly, everything still seemed to be there. Scorpius checked that everything was together. "Mind if we drop it all off at the dungeons before we go to eat?"

Blain shrugged. "I'm not really hungry yet anyway. I just figured that they all needed to check on Lily before we did. I mean we're just checking on her as friends, but she is the youngest of the group, so they are super protective of her."

They took their time and finally made it to the dungeons. "I'll just be a minute." And with that, Scorpius slipped around a corner and into his common room. It was quiet, as usual. Most people were getting ready to go to dinner, but over in a corner were Persephone and Oswald. They looked up and smiled.

"We wondered were you were hiding out." Persephone teased. "The other two already headed down to dinner. We thought we would wait a little longer to see if you would show tonight. Now we can go."

"Well, I promised Blain I'd eat with him."

The two looked shocked. Oz spoke up, "You mean at the Gryfindor table? You feeling OK? Do we need to take you to the hospital wing?"

"Haw, been there already today."

"Are you OK? I knew that cow had been driving you and Grayson too hard. We barely see you two. Someone needs to talk to the head of house. It is just cruel." Scorpius watched in amusement as Persephone began to call Patricia names. She was getting really worked up, so he decided to intervene.

"No. Turns out, someone hexed Lil, um Little Potters broom. She dropped a couple hundred feet and hit the ground hard. Blain was with me when it happened and I went with him to check on her. I told her brother if I heard about anyone using a curse on her broom, I'd let him know. Don't suppose you two heard anything?"

"Let me guess, he thought it was us?" Oz asked. He always had been the most perceptive person in Slytherin.

"Yeah, but I was with Blain when it happened, and I know you guys didn't so it but to appease Potter, I told him I would ask."

"Getting awfully friendly with Potter aren't you?" Persephone asked nastily.

He rolled his eyes at her. He saw no reason to tell his friends that the Potter he wanted to get friendly with was currently in the hospital wing. They were going to need a lot of time to get used to the idea and he was not ready to get into tonight.

Neither of his friends looked too broken up over the news about Lily, so he took the time to run up to put away his book bag. When he came down, they were waiting. "So are you coming with us?"

"Sorry. Blain and I are going to grab some food and go catch up. I haven't talked to him in weeks." They frowned. Persephone looked at him

"You haven't spent time with us either." Persephone huffed with her arms crossed. Scorpius sighed. It was so hard. He was just getting things straightened out with Blain, he still had to apologize to Lily, and now he realized that his other friends were getting grumpy over his lack of time.

He thought back to what Blain had said. You need to work on your old friends as much as your new ones. "Well, why don't we go to the lake tomorrow then. We can meet after morning classes. We can just relax for a bit before afternoon classes. Sound good?"

The two nodded and Persephone looked appeased. "All right, have a good dinner and I'll see you both later." He ran out the portrait hole. He had left Blain for long enough out in the hall. It was not known as the friendliest area, and he didn't want Blain to be stuck there longer than necessary.

Blain was waiting for him. They started to go to the Great Hall. They were almost there when they heard voices. Blain laughed at Scorpius. "I don't think we are ever going to make it to the Great Hall."

Ahead of them were James Potter and Fred Weasley. They were carrying arms full of food. Blain flagged them down. "You two been to the kitchens?"

James looked up and smiled. "How'd you guess? We figured Lils is doin' better. She's not awake yet, but we can bug her anytime. And we were hungry. Care to join us?"

They hadn't said anything to Scorpius. He wondered if they even noticed him. He followed the small group to an empty classroom. There, James and Fred spread out the food. There was tons of it and it all smelled delicious. His mouth watered. Blain motioned him to sit down and help himself.

For the first few minutes, they ate in silence. Finally, James put down his fork. "So, Malfoy, want to let me in on why you came crashing down the hall earlier. I didn't know you even knew my sister." James didn't say it with malice, but there was no question that the wrong answer would get him I trouble.

Scorpius took his time in answering. He licked gravy from his thumb and looked James in the face. "Your sister invited me to come sit with her when she took breaks outside. My quidditch practice finishes about the same time, so we just started running into each other. She and I had a fight, and when Albus came and told me what had happened, I wanted to check on her."

"And yet you left without doing that very thing. Why?"

"Who says I'm not going to? Blain and I figured that family needed to check on her first and we could do so later."

James took a moment to digest this information. "You know, that girl can take care of herself, but she is my little sister. I need you to know that if I think, for one second, that your intensions aren't as pure as the driven snow, you and I will have problems. Until then, I'll put up with you."

Scorpius actually laughed. James and Fred had never heard the serious looking snake laugh and they exchanged looks. "Alright, fair enough."

They all finished eating. They even talked a bit about quidditch. Scorpius smiled at Blain. "What?"

He looked at the group. "That makes conversations with three Potters and no one got hurt. Are you proud of me?" They all laughed out loud at this.

"You might just work out after all Malfoy."

"Thanks Potter."

"We'll clean up, I think it's your turn to go see Lily. She may not be awake yet, but they think she just needed to sleep off some of the effects of her fall. She should be up and annoying us soon."

Scorpius and Blain thanked the older boys and wandered towards the hospital. It was quiet as they moved through the halls. They reached the door to the hospital wing and Scorpius took a deep breathe. He felt a hand on his shoulder. Blain looked very serious in the dim light.

"You go and apologize first and I'll join you in a few minutes. I want to go check on Al really quick."

Scorpius nodded and moved through the doors. It was getting darker outside, but Scorpius could see a small figure in a bed. He knew it was Lily. He reached her bed and looked down. She looked so peaceful, much like she had when he had seen her under the tree. Her hair lay on her pillow and he realized he had been right all those months ago. The hair looked very black and dark on her pillow. The bandage on her head was a stark contrast to her dark hair. She just looked so small in the bed. For the first time in his life, he felt protective of another person. He didn't want to see her in this bed ever again. He wondered if this is what it felt like to have siblings. Did her brothers feel like this? He took her hand and sat down.

At first he was quiet, just enjoying the fact that he was spending quiet time with her again. He looked at her pale face waiting for those eyes to flicker open and see him. Scorpius was startled to realize he was talking to her. He had started unconsciously. He told her about his day and how Blain had tracked him down. He told her how he had wanted nothing more than to sit down by that tree with her all week.

He squeezed her hand. "You know I am not very good at this kind of thing. Dad always told me that I was better than many other wizards because of my blood and that was why I should never apologize to anyone. I'm not telling you that to make you dislike me, but so that you will understand if this apology is awful. I am working on it."

"When I found out you were a seeker, I was jealous. I know I shouldn't be, I mean you are a few years younger and I didn't really know you, but I have known about your family since I was little. Everyone knows your family and I guess it made me mad to think that your family gets all this positive attention all the time. I have to work so hard for that same attention."

"Getting to be seeker was a huge thing for me, and here you are, a little firstie and you get on right away. It just made me jealous, and I took it out on you. I am sorry. I know you must be good to get on your team. I also know I owe you thanks. You brought Blain back to our friendship. So, thanks."

These last words felt awkward coming out of his mouth. He squeezed her hand again. "I know this was the world's worst apology, but consider it practice for when I apologize when you wake up. I know I have to say it when your eyes are open for it to mean anything. Just feel better Lily."

_Damn those last words were so lame. Did he really just say that. She is going to think I am such a dork._

He did not have a chance to finish this train of thought, because just then he heard someone clear their throat. He looked up and came to face to face with the emerald green eyes of Harry Potter.


	13. Fatherly Advice

Scorpius looked up wide eyes. The famous wizard looked right back at him. Harry was standing, holding a cup in one hand. He was running his other hand through his hair and looking quite embarrassed. He cleared his throat again.

"Sorry to interrupt. I…didn't realize anyone else was going to stop in tonight..." He didn't seem to know what to do. Scorpius followed Harry's gaze and blushed. He was still holding Lily's hand. He quickly dropped it and put his hands in his lap.

"I didn't realize anyone else was still here." Scorpius looked down. He knew he sounded defensive, but Lily's dad had just heard everything he had said to her. It was so embarrassing.

Scorpius heard a small sigh and a whispered, "Remember what Ginny said, try and be understanding." Scorpius wasn't sure if Harry had really spoken or if he had imagined the words. Either way, this could end up being a really long conversation. Never the one to be a coward, Scorpius looked up to meet Harry's green eyes.

It was the first time he had really seen the war hero up close. Sure, he had seen new articles, and read books about the wizard, but he had never sat to study the pictures. His dad had gone to school with the famous Harry Potter and had told Scorpius to watch out for the kids. 'If they are anything like their father, they will be little, spoiled, attention grabbers.'

His father did not talk much about his school years, or anything about the war, but he was always irritated when he saw Harry Potters picture in the paper. But now Scorpius had sat and talked with all the Potter kids, and they seemed so…normal. It was hard to go against everything he had been taught, but he was starting to learn that maybe his father's way was not the only way.

He studied Harry closely. The older man was starting to go grey at the temples. His hair was an untidy mess. The glasses he wore were simple, round spectacles, not something you would expect on the most famous person of the wizarding world. Even in the dimly lit room, Scorpius could see small scars up and down Harry's arms. Harry followed Scorpius' gaze.

"Occupational hazard." Harry grinned, and it reminded Scor of Lily's smile. This must be where she got it. "So, I think I already know who you are. You're Draco's son, Scorpius, right?"

Scorpius nodded and took the hand that Harry held out to him. "Yes, sir. You went to school with my dad."

Harry laughed, "Yeah, but don't hold what he said against me. We weren't the greatest of friends." Harry glanced at Lily. He muttered under his breath, "Muffliato" and Scorpius wondered what would happen to him.

It must have shown on his face because Harry remarked, "It's just to keep us from disturbing Lily. I want her to wake on her own, not because someone is talking around her. She had a pretty nasty bump."

Harry set down his cup and tapped it. Next to his cup appeared another. Both were steaming. Harry picked one up and offered it to Scorpius. Scorpius took the cup in both hands, not really sure what it was. Again, Harry seemed to read his mind, "Its spiced cider. It will warm you up pretty quickly."

Scorpius took a sip and felt warmth infuse his bones. He felt muscles relax and he was able to smile faintly at Harry. "Thank you sir." They were quiet for a few minutes before Scorpius felt the need for conversation.

"So, um, is Lily's mum still here?" He was looking for anything to talk about, besides the fact that Harry had caught a third year holding his little girls hand that is.

"No. She went on to let the rest of the clan know that Lily is OK. We decided someone should be here when she woke up. She may have seen something to tell us who did it."

Scorpius caught a glimpse of a very dangerous glint in Harry's eyes. No wonder he was such a good auror. Anyone who dared to stand up to that look would be either very brave, or very stupid. Scorpius felt the need to reassure the father.

"I asked around a little in my house sir. My friends hadn't heard anything a few hours ago, but two of them are pretty good at overhearing things they shouldn't…" the thought trailed off.

"Thank you for that. So, if I may ask when did a Malfoy start befriending a Potter?" So they had finally made it to the main conversation. Scorpius had known Harry would ask, a person who had been trained to be as observant as an auror would have been bound to notice the blond hair waiting in a sea of black and red. Scorpius looked at Lily and began the tale.

"Well, it was the other way around actually. A Potter tried to befriend a Malfoy."

Harry chuckled, "Doesn't surprise me, Lily was always one to go up to meet new people. She is wonderful at reading people too. If she tells me someone is acting untrustworthy, I look at them a little closer. She just seems to know."

By now, Harry was looking down at his daughter. "I didn't expect the Potters to be like this you know." When Harry looked over at him, Scorpius realized he had spoken out loud. His eyes grew wide and he waited for Harry to give him a death glare, but none came. In fact, Harry laughed.

"I get that a lot. Everyone assumes that because I'm 'famous' that we all walk around with giant heads and inflated egos. We really are a regular family, but I do try to keep them out of the spotlight if I can help it. Now, back to this story you were going to tell me."

Again the father had brought the topic back around. He was good, Scorpius had to admit. He kept bringing the topic around to the two kids. Scorpius shook his head in resignation and he began to tell the tale.

"Well, it started on the train…"

It took about twenty minutes to go through the tale. Harry laughed a number of times, and Scorpius was feeling more at ease. Harry smiled at Scorpius. "That sounds exactly like Lily. So now, I need to tell you some things."

_Uh oh, what now?_ Scorpius looked at Harry, feeling a little tense.

"First, as an understanding father, I want you to know I have never stood in the way of my children and their friends. I feel they are smart enough to pick their friends, so even though your father and I did not get along, I see no reason why you and my daughter cannot get along. It says a lot about you that you waited in a room surrounded by her very worried family. That cannot be an easy thing. We tend to be a little overwhelming." With this Harry smiled.

"I also think it took a lot to apologize to her, and to admit you wanted to spend time with her. If you can live up to that, you will make a wonderful friend that will stand by her for many years. Now, as the concerned Dad…" With this, Harry grew stern again.

"This is my baby girl. I will always be protective of her. If I find out that you treat her with anything other than respect, you will wish you were never born. I imagine that you will be approached by both her brothers. They will trust Lily's judgment but I want you to know, you have not yet earned our trust. It is not something easily given, but once earned, it is very hard to break."

With that, Harry leaned back in his chair. Scorpius looked at him. "I will try sir. Please know, all I want is a friend like Lily."

Before more could be said, they heard voices coming. Harry muttered, and the spell he placed around them earlier lifted. Through the doors came Blain and Albus. Harry stood up and walked to the boys smiling. "Good to see you Blain. How has your year gone?"

"Pretty well sir. When are you coming to Hogwarts to give a guest presentation this year?"

"Not for awhile yet, but I will be here to see the first quidditch match in a few weeks. I was very proud of Lily when she made it on the team."

"Like father like daughter."

Scorpius listened to the exchange with interest. Blain was talking to Harry without any trace of awe or adoration. He was talking to him as a father of his friend. Maybe Harry had been right, and his father had been wrong. Maybe the Potters really weren't attention seekers.

The thought got no further because just then, Lily began to stir.


	14. The Great Streaking

A/N: This was an idea from BDSanta2001. I laughed when I read this in the reviews and asked if I could use it in some way. Hope you all like it.

* * *

Scorpius and Harry found themselves on either side of Lily. Albus and Blain hurried to joiin them. Lily gave a little moan and opened her eyes. She looked disoriented and finally her eyes landed on her father. Questions filled her eyes.

"Dad? What are you doing here? It's not a week for you to give a guest talk."

Harry took his daughters hand and smiled. "Hey baby girl. Your mum and I came when we heard about your little fall."

Her eyes widened and she quickly scanned the rooms. "Mums here too?"

"No. She had to go let Grandma Weasley that you are alright. She was here for a little bit, but when we found out you were going to be OK, she decided you might be a little embarrassed by the attention."

It was then she seemed to realize that she was not alone with her dad. She mumbled quietly, "Thanks dad." Lily sat up, looking very embarrassed. "So...ummm… how long have I been out?"

Albus smiled and gave her a tight hug. "Only a few hours. We saw your broom drop and we have been keeping watch ever since." Scorpius heard him whisper in her ear. "You have us quite a scare. Don't so it again."

Lily whispered back, "It wasn't exactly planned. But I promise."

"Hey, don't hog the hugs." Blain broke into the conversation. He reached down for his own hug. "Good to see you up and looking so good little girl."

Lily pushed him away with an annoyed look. "Don't call me little." Blain laughed. Lily looked over at Scorpius and looked down at her hands. He realized that he still had to apologize and he looked at his hands as well.

Harry coughed loudly. "Well, since you seem to feel better, I think we will go get you something to eat. You must be hungry. Come on Al."

"But Dad, she just woke up. I want to know if she saw anything."

"It will only take a few minutes. Let's go Al. You too Blain."

"But what about Scorpius?"

Scorpius looked up to see Harry dragging Al out of the room. Blain was holding the door. "Scorpius wants to talk to your sister quickly. He has something to tell her, now come on."

A light seemed to go on for Albus and he hurried out the door. Harry turned to Scorpius. "You have five minutes." And he was gone.

With the other three gone, it was quiet. Too quiet. The seconds ticked by and still no one spoke. It had been difficult to admit fault to Lily while she slept, but now it seemed almost impossible. Lily was the first to speak.

"So what did you want to tell me?"

He looked up to meet her eyes. For the first time in a week, the copper orbs were back to the warm ones he remembered from the train. He had been prepared for the cold, dead eyes she had given him all week. He sighed and smiled at her.

"So are you still mad at me?"

She crossed her arms and looked at him, "That depends on you."

He sighed. I knew you would make me do this." At her death look, Scorpius quickly raised his hands, "not that you don't deserve it of course."

She was back to smiling again. "That's more like it. You may continue."

He felt a weight lift. They were joking with each other. He gave her a quick bow. "A thousand thank yous of mighty one."

Scorpius smiled, but adopted a more serious tone. "I am so sorry Lily. I was upset because I felt... well I felt jealous. I shouldn't have taken it out on you, but I did. I am not good at this, but I want you to know I truly am sorry. Do you forgive me?"

"Hmmm, I don't know. I think I liked your other apology better." He looked at her in surprise. Her eyes were twinkling.

"What other time?"

"The one when you though I couldn't hear you."

Scorpius grew incredulous. "You heard that and you gave no sign of being awake? That is so deceitful Lily Potter. I..I..I don't know what to say. It's absolutely Slytherin of you."

Lily laughed. "No need to throw out insults" she said with a wicked smile. "And for the record, I forgave you when you apologized the first time. Thank you. It means a lot." She grew more serious, "I do want you to know I could hear you, but I just couldn't get my body to wake up for me. I would have if I could have."

Scorpius was quickly reviewing everything that was said while Lily had been sleeping. "So, if you heard what I said…" he swallowed, thinking of his conversation with her dad. "What else did you hear?"

She frowned as she thought back. "Well, I heard you, and then I heard my dad for a dew minutes, and then all I can remember is a buzzing in my ears. I couldn't make out what was being said in the room and then I heard Albus and Blain come in."

"Oh, well that's good I guess." He quickly threw up a mask to cover his relief. So Harry Potter's spell had worked. He realized what he had said and quickly added to it. "Your dad didn't want any voices to disturb you, so he made sure your conversation didn't disturb you."

"So you were talking with my dad? What about?" She smiled at him with a bit of uncertainty.

Before Scorpius could think of something to say, Harry's voice came from behind him. "Nothing you should be concerned about Lily. Here, we found all sorts of good food for you. Eat up."

Blain was smiling, "Would you believe that he still remembered how to get to the kitchens? I mean it has been years since you were at school Mr. Potter sir."

Harry gave a frown to Blain, "Not that long ago. I'm not that old." Harry huffed as he dipped into his pudding. Blain smiled and dug into his own pudding. Harry gave a quick wink to the boy and smiled at him. He turned to Lily.

"So, you're sure you feel fine."

"Yes Dad." She slowly ate a huge sandwich that had been placed in front of her. She swallowed a large bite. Albus chimed in.

"So did you see who did it to you?"

She was quiet for a minute. "I was looking for the snitch. I remember seeing a glint towards the ground and I was diving for it. Just then, my broom felt hard and rough, not the way it should. Before I could think, I dropped. I realized that my broom was no longer wood, but stone. I tried to jump off at the last minute, but I think I hit my head pretty hard. I don't remember any more."

"So you didn't see anyone?" Albus leaned forward.

"No. Sorry Al."

"It's OK Pumpkin. We'll get to the bottom of it. Think of it as a way to get a new broom. Your mum and I decided that now only the best will work. I don't want to see this happen again." Harry turned to Al, "In fact, I think we are going to take your broom in for a check up. I want to make sure the protective spells are still strong."

Al nodded and smiled at his dad. "Thanks Dad. It should take a few days, but as long as we have it back for the quidditch match, it shouldn't cause too many problems for the team." Harry smiled fondly at his kids.

Scorpius felt a pang. Sometimes he wished that his father was a little more openly affectionate. He watched the looks, and the touches and you could just see the love between the siblings and the father. His family was much more reserved. A pat on the shoulder was like a hug to the Potters. Looking at them, he couldn't help but feel happy and he tried to shake off the sudden melancholy.

He realized that his mind had wandered, and he had lost the conversation. Lily was laughing at something her Dad had said. She turned to Scorpius with a wicked grin, "So back to my earlier question, what did you and Dad talk about?"

Scorpius looked to Harry with a pleading look. Just then Harry got a cheerful gleam in his eyes. Scorpius watched his face become a mask and he smiled serenely. _Uh Oh. What is he going to do?_ Harry looked at Lily with a straight face.

"Well, I happened to overhear young Mr. Malfoy talking to you. I know how you like to make new friends, so I thought it only natural to talk to young Scorpius about his intentions with my only daughter."

Lily was going red. "Dad, you didn't." By now Albus had caught on and was giving the same straight face. Harry continued.

"Well, once he told me he was only looking to be your friend, I decided that it was OK to be the proud papa. I know that you are not one to talk about yourself Lily, so I thought it only fair to Scorpius to tell him some stories. You have such a knack for getting stories out of others, I thought I should even the playing field."

By now, Lily was covering her face in embarrassment. Scorpius could hear her moaning, "No no no no nonononono." Scorpius smiled at Harry. He was starting to enjoy this. He decided to follow along.

"Well, you know I'm no good at telling stories, so I had to bring out some pictures." Lily squeaked and uncovered her eyes. She looked disbelieving at her family and friends. Scorpius decided now was the perfect time to join in.

"You really were cute growing up." Lily looked at him in horror. "I mean I loved your…" He looked up and say Harry mouthing 'pigtails' at him and Scorpius' grin widened… "pigtails. They were so cute."

Albus now chimed in. "Oh, but my favorite ones are definitely the naked baby shots, you in the tub with your cute little cheeks." Blain joined in,

"And we don't mean the ones on your face."

Harry took over again. "Well, you did interrupt us. We were just getting to your great streaking adventure when you work up."

Lily was absolutely mortified and the whole group broke into loud laughs. They couldn't hold their faces any more. Lily looked around and turned to Albus, hitting him hard on the shoulder, "You are so mean! I can't believe you let me think you would do this."

"Ow, Lils. I didn't start this. Hit Dad." but Scorpius saved Al. "Wait a minute, I need to hear this story."

"No you don't!" Lily glared around at everyone.

Harry cast an evil glance to his daughter. "Well it all started when we went to Grandma Weasley's one summer day. It was the first time the whole Weasley clan had been together in one place for quite some time, and Grandma Weasley thought it was the perfect time to have a picture taken."

Lily stared at her dad in disbelief. "So Grandma Weasley made sure everyone had new, somewhat matching clothes. We were the first to arrive, and Lily had just turned three. She was getting ready to go play in the garden, but Grandma Weasley stopped her. 'Now Lily, don't get your new clothes dirty. We have pictures soon.' Well, Molly thought that Lily would go play in the kitchen or in the house with everyone else."

By now Lily had her head in her hands. Scorpius laughed to see her ears were the same shade of red as her hair. "So when everyone finally arrives, we can't find Lily. We were starting to get frantic when James comes running inside. 'I found her!' We all come running outside, and there is Lily, absolutely covered in dirt."

Harry paused. Scorpius looked at him, "Somehow I expected a different ending." Albus broke in; his face was red from suppressed laughter.

"Well, she had been told not to get her clothes dirty. So Lily had taken them all off. They were all piled in a chair in the kitchen. Lily was knee deep in mud with not a stitch on!"

The group burst out laughing. Scorpius couldn't remember laughing that hard ever. Every time he thought he had it under control, he would picture her again. Soon, he was having a hard time breathing. He looked at Lily, and she was giving him a cold look. When he looked into her eyes though, he noticed them dancing with laughter.

They were almost calmed down when a new voice joined theirs. "What is going on here? Don't you know this young girl needs her rest?" Madame Pomfrey came storming out of her office. She had a nightgown on and a fierce look on her face.

They all stood quickly. Each made sure they had a contrite look plastered on before they looked up at the medi-witch. Harry stepped forward. "Sorry Poppy. We were trying to make Lils laugh a little. It won't happen again."

"I would think you would know better by now Mr. Potter. You were here enough growing up, I would think you would know the rules by now." Harry looked apologetic, but when Scorpius caught his eye, he winked.

"I know Poppy." She huffed and went to Lily.

"You need rest my dear."

"But Madam Pomfrey, I feel fine. Can't I go back to my rooms. Really, I'm fine."

"I don't think so. You will be here at least tonight. You had a nasty fall and you will only leave when I feel you are well." She started to fuss over Lily. Scorpius and the others looked at her. She mouthed 'Help me' to them, but they all just smiled. They knew better than to get in the way of the medi-witch.

"Lily, you do as you are told. I love you. I need to go tell you mum you're fine. Write to us when you feel better." He quickly kissed her good night. Everyone else followed his lead. They called to her and slowly back away.

Lily mouthed at them. 'Cowards!'

"See you around Potter" Scorpius called. The group smiled and laughed as they left a rather irritated Lily Potter to deal with Poppy. Scorpius was feeling pretty good. That night was the best he had slept in months.

* * *

A/N: I am not 100 sure about where I want to take this. I am open to suggestions. I know how I want to end this, but I need some fillers for in between. Thanks for all the reviews and the idea. 


	15. Âne Nu

The next few weeks were the happiest Scorpius could remember. He had spent countless hours with Lily and Blain, and occasionally Albus or James Potter. He had also made great efforts to spend time with his other friends, and now they were closer than ever. Well, Persephone, Oswald and he were closer than ever. Grayson and Bernadette still floated in and out of their little group whenever they felt like it. They weren't as close as Lily and her friends, but they were not looking for that closeness. They had a strong friendship, and they were happy with that.

The first quidditch matches had come and gone. Gryfindor had played Hufflepuff. They had swept that match easily. Scorpius had to admit that Lily was really good and she had deserved her spot on the team.

She had handled the broom with ease. At one point, she had stood up, balancing precariously on the end, trying to reach the snitch. Scorpius had been very close to jumping down on the field to wring her neck. Days after getting out of the hospital, here she is trying to get back in.

After the game, he found her, but before he could start telling her what he thought of her little escapades, the team had swooped in, clapping her on the back and telling her what a wonderful catch it was. Of course, the team consisted entirely of her family, so of course they would cheer her on. They had grown up seeing her pull these stunts before.

He began to smile at their antics, and even slapped her on the back, telling her what a spectacular flyer she was. She turned and gave him a huge smile and had launched into a hug.

Scorpius was not used to physical affection, at least not full force, and the hug threw him off balance. His arms tightened around her, but before he could regain his balance, they found themselves on the ground. Lily was laughing along with her family, and Scorpius couldn't help but join in. Willing hands helped pull the two up.

Around the corner came two more family members. Harry and Ginny Potter each hugged their youngest. Ginny smiled down as she straightened wind swept hair.

"You were wonderful Lily. It was amazing to see you fly."

"Lily Bean, that was spectacular! I loved the final catch."

Ginny playfully slapped his arm, "Only because you had a similar catch your first game. I swear to you Harry Potter, if your daughter takes after you in quidditch playing, she is going to be in the infirmary more than you were."

Harry rubbed his arm and grinned at his wife. Lily looked at her dad, "You did the same thing your first match?"

Albus leaned close and whispered to Scorpius, "She wants to be just like Dad. She's already started to plan her auror training." Scorpius smiled at Al and looked back at Harry, who was slightly red in the face.

"Well, not exactly."

"Well come on Dad, tell us the story then." James was looking just as interested. Harry and Ginny told them all about the first snitch and how Harry had almost swallowed it. By the end the group was laughing at the thought of the greatest wizard to date almost choking on a tiny snitch. James spoke again.

"Is that the snitch up on the fireplace?"

"The one and the same."

Scorpius smiled at the group. They were full of life and laughter and he enjoyed every minute he spent with them. He had not told his Slytherin friends about his new acquaintances, so he kept these meetings brief. One more congratulatory hug, and he ran off to join his friends for supper.

The next match had been his own against Ravenclaw. He could remember the butterflies in his stomach before taking flight. The team was not exhausted, but they were definitely tired and sluggish after all the grueling practices. The Ravenclaw team had managed to get in a few goals before the Slytherins had rallied in defense.

Scorpius had circled a few times, hoping to catch sight of the glittering snitch. He saw no sign of it and the frustration mounted. The game was close. For every point they managed to get on the board, Ravenclaw matched it. They just couldn't seem to pull ahead and fatigue was starting to set in.

Scorpius needed to find that snitch. Out of the corner of his eye, he had spotted Lily. She was smiling. He could see her hands moving under her scarf. When she saw him looking, she pulled a small green flag out from under the scarf and began waving it madly. He saw her mouth the words, 'You can do it.' And he seemed to find new strength.

He began to scan again, moving faster and faster. Soon he was a blur in the sky and suddenly he had dropped. There, near the ground, was a tiny speck of gold. He dove. He felt the wind whistling past him and he felt a total sense of freedom. Inches from the ground, he had pulled up, holding the tiny golden ball aloft. The crowd had gone wild and he soaked in every second.

It was not a sweeping victory, but it was a victory. He could remember seeing Lily afterwards and, for the first time, Scorpius ran to her and swept her into a bear hug. She laughed and hung on as he swung her around. She had told him how wonderful she thought he was and had left him to enjoy the party in his common room.

The greatest thing to come from the game though was the fact that Patricia finally realized she was pushing them too hard. She had finally cut down on the practices and the team was feeling refreshed. Yes it had been a truly wonderful few weeks. Never once had he noticed the dark eyes tracking his every move.

XXXXXXXXXXX

They were two weeks from the Christmas break. Lily and Scorpius met everyday at their tree. He told his friends that he was using the time in the morning to catch up on homework and sleep. Since they were seeing more of him, they didn't ever argue.

It was the most peaceful time of his day, and probably his favorite. The snow was thick on the ground, but he and Lily were plenty warm. Everyday, Lily brought her bag, filled with wonderful food and drink. Scorpius brought a thick warm blanket.

Today was the last Hogsmeade trip before the break. Scorpius was going down later with Blain and he was meeting the other Slytherins after lunch. Lily was still too young to go, but she tried to hide her jealousy.

"Âne Nu, it's only two years and then you'll be coming. Besides, I promise to bring you something special. And I think I heard Al say that your uncle had something for you at his shop."

Lily pouted under her cloak. "It's still two years away! I want to go now. And what is with that stupid nickname? You've been calling me it for weeks!"

Scorpius smiled. She could be a real bear in the mornings. "Admit it, you like it. It's growing on you."

"Fine, but I still want to know what it means."

"And I told you, you have to figure it out for yourself." He smirked at her and she stuck her tongue out at him. Scorpius laughed.

"You know, I don't think I have laughed this much my entire life."

Lily was still slightly miffed at not getting to go. She frowned at him "Yeah, well, it's good for you."

It was a little cold out for drawing, but they spent the time talking, or just sitting enjoying each others company. Today had been extremely cold, so Lily had brought another blanket. They sat on one and spread the other over their laps.

Lily had brought a thermos of hot chocolate and a batch of warm muffins and hot cereal. It had been wonderful. Just the thing to warm them up. Bludger sat on Lily's shoulder, but he was getting used to Scorpius. That morning, he had flown ahead of Lily and had landed right on Scorpius and given him a brief nip.

"That means he likes you." Lily had said. Scorpius had been absurdly pleased at the thought of the falcon liking him.

The food was long gone, and Lily leaned her head back against the tree. Turning her head, she looked at Scorpius. "I love the snow. It makes it all so peaceful."

Scorpius just nodded and leaned his head back as well. He was feeling warm and contented. He smiled at the picture they must make. There was no sign of any other person around them. The snow was unmarked except for two sets of tracks leading to the castle. There the two sat, snuggled in cloaks, hats, scarves, mittens, and thick boots. All you could see were two red faces peeking out of the dark cloaks. The white snow blanketed everything else. He closed his eyes and relaxed even more. He heard Lily speak.

"You know what else I love about the snow?"

"What?"

"This!" Scorpius' eyes shot open as he felt the cold, compacted snow hit his head and slid down the back of his shirt. He jumped up with a yell and turned to see Lily running for cover behind the tree.

"So it is war then!" Lily screamed as she dodged his first onslaught. She was quick to recover and was soon throwing with amazing accuracy. Within minutes they were both covered from head to toe in snow. Both were breathing heave, and as Lily stooped to make another snowball, he made his move.

Scorpius ran as fast as he could and tackled Lily into a huge bank of snow. She sputtered and coughed but was still laughing. He leaned close.

"Never take your eyes off a Slytherin. We always know when to take advantage."

Lily laughed with glee. "OK OK OK!"

"So you give?"

Lily gave him a mischievous grin, "Never!" and he found a handful of snow crammed down the back of his neck. Lily took the opportunity to roll away and the game began again.

Soon they were both collapsed on the blankets, panting. Lily looked over.

"Truce?"

"Yeah, truce. Besides, I need to go meet Blain." They helped each other up and made their way to the castle. They separated just before they reached the courtyard.

"See you tomorrow Âne Nu."

"I will figure it out you know." Scorpius laughed and he went to change.

He was waiting outside the portrait hole for Blain. It opened and Blain came rushing out. Scorpius could hear Lily in the common room, "It means WHAT????!!!"

"Uh Oh." Scorpius grabbed Blain and they ran. They ducked behind the first tapestry they could find. Blain looked at him, "What the heck..?" but Scorpius covered his mouth. They could hear footsteps.

"Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, you show yourself right now! Do you hear me? When I find you I am going to string you up your ears! Don't think I won't! When I get done with you, you will pray I used my bat-boogy hex on you. That is nothing compared to what I am planning!"

Scorpius was trying not to laugh. When the footsteps were gone, Blain looked at him. "Oh you are in trouble. What did you do?"

Scorpius was laughing outright now. "You know that nickname I gave her?"

"You mean Âne Nu?" Scorpius nodded.

"She figured out what it means."

They left their hiding spot and began to sneak off towards the entrance hall. Scorpius paused. He was listening for footsteps. Blain gave an irritated huff. "Well don't leave me hanging."

Satisfied that Lily was now long gone Scorpius again spoke. "It means Bare Ass in French!"

Laughing, the two boys ran off to join their friends in Hogsmeade.


	16. Too Good to Last

Scorpius loved going to Hogsmeade. It was the first year he had been allowed, and these little trips were well deserved breaks from everyday school life. He felt a slight pang at the thought that Lily couldn't be here, but as he glanced at Blain and Albus, he couldn't help but enjoy himself.

These last few weeks, he had felt like a different person. He had been a happy child, but he had never felt comfortable showing those feelings to others. He had been taught that emotions and feeling could be used against you, so you could be happy, but you didn't have to show the world.

With his Slytherin friends, he knew they would use emotion against him. They were clever, and they knew that something you loved or something you feared could be used against you. If there was something to gain, use what you had to your advantage. Because of this, most Slytherins did not openly admit these feelings. Their laughter and enjoyment was usually at the expense of others so that no one really knew what made you happy or scared.

With the Potters and their friends, he felt like he could show those emotions, and he found he liked that freedom. Just because he smiled and laughed didn't mean they were going to tease him about it. Besides, he could still cover his emotions better than anyone else when needed. It was a useful skill, and he intended to continue to hone it.

They spent the morning wandering from shop to shop. At Honeydukes, Scorpius stocked up on various candies. He also knew that Lily had a sweet tooth, so he grabbed a few extra treats. He had promised a little gift for her after all.

They wandered into Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. The joke shop was hugely popular and it was always packed with adults and students alike. They seemed to have something for everyone. They had quills, fake wands, candies and a thousand other things.

Growing up, he was allowed to pick up a few things, but his father always seemed eager to get out of the shop. If anyone with red hair was around, they left the shop with barely a backward glance. Being there without his dad, Scorpius again felt a sense of freedom. He could browse as long as he waned without worrying that he was taking too much time.

He tried out new tricks and jokes with Blain and Albus. He even found a little something for Lily. Christmas was coming after all. They even spotted James a Fred a few aisles over. The two boys waved, but Fred quickly looked past them and smiled. "Oy Dad! Didn't know you were workin' this shop today. I thought you were in Diagon Alley."

Fred trotted past the three younger students and hugged a red haired man that had been standing behind the trio. Albus turned and he and James said as one, "Uncle George!"

Soon the red haired man was being hugged on all sides. He laughed and hugged back. Scorpius looked closely at the man. Definitely had the Weasley hair and his eyes had a mischievous twinkle. There were laugh lines on his face and his smile looked like it could split his face in two. Even his voice sounded like he was ready to laugh at any moment.

"You honestly thought I would miss a Hogsmeade trip? Best days for business. Besides, I told the family I would keep you from causin too much trouble at the school." He lowered his voice a touch, "but you are my best testers, so I kept my fingers crossed." He winked and the small group smiled.

It was then that the laughing eyes focused on Scorpius Malfoy. "So it is true. Never thought I would see the day a Potter was standin' with a Malfoy." Scorpius wasn't sure if it was an insult or a compliment. The man smiled and stuck out his hand, "Well if life has taught me anything, it's that miracles to happen. Nice to meet you. Names George Weasley."

Scorpius shook his hand and soon George was showing the group all the latest testing supplies. They all left with bags full and brains spinning. Each was trying to come up with the first plan. Scorpius could see this was going to be a really long two weeks for the teachers.

They decided to meet up at the Three Broomsticks for lunch. Scorpius wanted to wander by the shrieking shack first. It was turning out to be a perfect day. He and Blain split from the larger group and they headed off. As they stared at the old decrepit shack, Scorpius looked at Blain.

"So I need an idea for Lily for Christmas." Blain laughed at him.

"After that little nickname, you're gonna need a pretty good gift."

Scorpius laughed at him, "I know, but it was worth it. Did you see her face when she figured out what it meant? It was priceless!"

The two shared a quiet laugh before heading back to the Three Broomsticks. On their way, Scorpius saw something in the window. _Perfect!_

After lunch, he ran to the Hogs Head where he met up with the Slyterins. He had planned it so they would not see him out with Albus. They were understanding about Blain, but Scor was not sure how to tell them he had befriended the the family that he had done nothing but complain about for years.

He joined them at a table after grabbing a butterbeer. It was nice and warm, especially because the day had not warmed up much since the morning. The five friends smirked at those that came and went from the bar. They told stories about their week and in general they relaxed.

Everything seemed to be going really well. Grayson had just finished a story about his little brother, a second year, blowing up his potion just last week. Scorpius laughed, not loudly, but it still caused everyone to stop and stare.

Scorpius looked at them and placed an annoyed scowl on his face, "What?"

The other four exchanged looks and it seemed that Oz was elected to speak. "Well, umm, we were wondering if you, well, if you felt alright?"

"Course I feel alright. What this about?"

"I don't know. It's just, these last few weeks, you've changed. I mean we've all noticed it. You disappear in the mornings, and when we see you in class, you're smiling." The four nodded and shot concerned looks at Scorpius.

"I'm fine. Just feeling good I guess."

Bernadette spoke. "Yeah, but you never smile and laugh like you have been. You scowl, you frown, you smirk, you even look amused, but you never outright smile. What's going on?"

Scorpius scowled, "Nothing. I think you're making a mountain out of a molehill." He thought fast, "Did it ever occur to you that I was happy to have a decent sleep for the first time in months? Ask Grayson, Patricia worked us to the bone. For the first time in months, I finally feel rested. I have a right to be happy."

Grayson looked unconvinced, "Well, you do have a point."

Scorpius rolled his eyes at his friends, "Honestly, what else could it be."

The four looked at each other. They shrugged. "Alright, but cut it out. You're starting to freak us out."

The rest of the trip passed with no more interrogations, but now Scorpius was grumpy. It had been going so well. He had the best of both worlds, but his damn friends were observant. Now he was going to have to watch himself.

XXXXXX

Back at the castle, Lily had him cornered in the library. She was calm and collected, and that worried Scorpius. He was going to have to take this easy. She smiled, and he took a step back.

"Glad to see you made it back. I've been waiting for you."

"Now, Lily, it was just a joke."

"Glad to see you finally dropped the nickname. Smart of you. Now where should I start? I do have a wonderful new hex to try out. It's supposed to turn your insides out, but I've never tried it. Care to be my test subject?" She advanced slowly with her wand out.

"You know, it's almost Christmas. Kill me now, and you won't get the gifts I bought for you. Besides I have candy too."

She lowered her wand. "Depends on the candy." The twinkle was back in her eyes and she smiled in relief. He pulled out a bag. Inside were chocolate frogs, fizzing whizbees, sugar quills, and some pepper imps.

She took the bag, smiling. "Thanks. I'll spare your life, assuming you drop the nickname."

"Aww, you liked the nickname though."

"Don't push your luck."

"Personally, I think you just like to see me squirm. You would never do anything to my dashing good looks."

"Try me. Besides, making you squirm is just a bonus." The two friends laughed quietly. After a quick hug, they were off to bed. Neither noticed Oz, sitting in the shadows.

XXXXXXX

The next few weeks went fairly smoothly. The new merchandise from George was used a bit, but most wanted to wait until after break for the real testing to begin. It seemed that the two weeks were over before they began. Right now, they were sitting on the train waiting to pull into the station to go home for the holidays.

The Slytherins were out playing tricks, so Scorpius had snuck out to spend a little time with the Potters and Blain. Just before the train hit the station, Scorpius pulled out a few packages. He handed them each a package and told them they were not to open them until Christmas.

The others exchanged looks and smiled. From their bags, they each pulled out a gift and handed them to Scorpius with the same line of, 'Don't open them until Christmas." They passed the rest of the ride in peace, talking about quidditch and school, and nothing at all.

When the train pulled up, Scorpius glanced out. He didn't see his father, and his other friends were already off the train and lost in the crowd. Scorpius jumped off with Lily and slung an arm around her shoulders.

"My Dad's always a little late." She smiled at him before waving to her family. They were hard to miss. James, Albus, Rose, and Hugo were already over with Lily's dad. Harry hugged Lily and gave a pat on the back to Scorpius. Lily jumped up and hugged 'Uncle Ron' another red head. Must be Rosie's dad.

"Where's Mum?" Lily asked her dad.

"Just Uncle Ron and me today. Your mum and Aunt Hermione are finishing Christmas shopping." Albus and Rose and Hugo came to stand next to Lily and Scorpius. Ron started at them.

"Merlin's beard, that's damn scary Harry!"

"What is it Ron?"

"Well, look at them. The spittin' image of you, me and Herminone standin' there with a little Draco. A bit creepy really."

Harry just laughed at Ron's stunned look. "Scorpius, this is Ron Weasley."

Ron gave Scorpius a wary look, but he extended his hand. "You're treating Lily OK?"

Lily rolled her eyes, "He's been a great friend Uncle Ron. Relax."

"That's OK Lils. I just wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas before I went to find Dad. I better go. It was nice to meet you."

Before he could turn around however, he heard a low, cold voice behind him. "Scorpius, would you mind explaining what is going on?"

Scorpius turned, wide eyed, to face his father.


	17. Family Ties

A/N: BDSanta2001 again had a great idea. Draco and Harry have a bit of a truce right now, so to get sparks to fly (a little bit anyway) Lucius is the one to do it. He is set in his ways and had no problem insulting Harry and friends before, so time to bring him back!

XXXXXXXXXXX

Scorpius turned to look at his dad, but he soon realized that his dad was not looking back. Draco Malfoy was staring straight at Harry Potter. The two seemed stiff, but not menacing or wary of each other. The children stood, quietly watching the exchange. Draco finally spoke.

"Potter."

"Malfoy." The tense silence continued. Harry cleared his throat. "We were just wishing Scorpius a Merry Christmas."

Draco looked quickly to his son and back to Harry. "I was not aware that you knew my son, Potter."

"Well, I met him earlier this year."

"Ah, so the Potter magnetism seems to even draw in my son. Seems things have not changed much since school…" Draco placed a hand on Scorpius' shoulder. The grip tightened as he began to turn Scorpius away.

Harry interrupted. "Actually, he met my daughter. You have a wonderful son Malfoy. In fact, Ginny and I were talking…." Draco stopped and turned again to Harry. He sighed.

"Yes, Potter? We really need to go."

"Well it seems that Lily and Scorpius have become fairly good friends these last few months."

"Have they?" Draco glanced at Scorpius, who winced. This had been why he was so reluctant to tell his dad. He hadn't been sure of his reaction. It was going better than he had hoped though. No one was yelling, or pulling out wands. He felt the need to speak up though.

"Yes sir. We met on the train at the start of the year." He made sure his voice was calm and polite. He did not want to mess this up. He gently pulled away from Draco and went to put an arm around Lily. "Dad, I would like you to meet my friend, Lily Potter."

Draco looked dumbfounded. Scorpius knew the feeling. It was the same feeling he had had every time he had a conversation with one of the Potter children. Well at least the first few. You were not sure how to react, and they were so polite that you could not do anything but maintain the polite conversation.

Finally, Draco Malfoy reached out his gloved hand and gently shook Lily's hand. Scorpius looked at Harry, who had the same dumbfounded look, but he quickly shook his head and continued the conversation.

"Well, we have a family Christmas party every year. We have friends and family over just after Christmas. Ginny and I would like to invite Scorpius to come." Harry paused, and when Draco did not walk away, he finished. "You and your wife would also be more than welcome."

Lily looked up at her dad and smiled. In the train, the group had talked about trying to convince Draco Malfoy to allow Scorpius to visit sometime. Of course, they had been thinking about summer. They had thought Draco would need that much time to get used to the idea.

"I see. Well, we will talk about it." Scorpius' heart started to beat faster. He looked at Lily and saw her smile widen. This was going so well! Sure, his dad didn't sound enthusiastic, but he wasn't shooting down the idea right away either. They had a chance. He looked at Harry and gave him a thank you smile, which Harry returned.

Draco nodded to the group. "Well, we really must be going. Come along Scorpius." Draco turned to leave. Scorpius quickly hugged Lily. He whispered in her ear. "I'll keep working on him, so maybe I'll see you right after Christmas." Before Scorpius could turn around to join his dad, a cane came into view and Lucius Malfoy came forward.

Harry had been a little stiff with his father, but when his grandfather came into view, Harry had straightened and his emerald eyes lost the merry twinkle they usually had. They turned cold and hard. The tense mood increased tenfold. His grandfather seemed to know the effect he had and he smirked.

"Well well well, we meet again. It has been far too long Mr. Potter." Lucius spoke in quiet, controlled tones, but you could hear the underlying contempt in his voice as he spoke to Harry.

Harry made no move to greet Lucius or to acknowledge that he had spoken. Lucius turned his cold eyes onto Scorpius. "Of course, I expected more of my grandson. To think, you have lowered yourself to associating with this little half blood."

Ron came forward, an angry expression on his face. "You miserable git! Harry is more a man than you will ever be. And your grandson has more taste in his little pinky than you have in your whole bloody body!"

Harry put an arm out to hold back Ron. His face was still stony. Scorpius looked up with wide frightened eyes. He had not expected his grandfather to show up. One of the few people that scared him was his grandfather.

His father could be cold and unyielding, but he had never felt fear around his father. Grandfather Malfoy was different. Lucius had no problem talking to everyone who would listen about how his name used to mean something. After the war, his name no longer held the same power. He blamed Harry Potter for this. He was not silent about his dislike. Lucius had become a bitter old man and Scorpius did not trust his grandfather's reactions. Slowly, he stepped in front of Lily.

Lucius gave Ron a cold look. "Still the same vacant expression I see Mr. Weasley. How is your father?"

Harry stepped in front of Ron. He spoke in a quiet voice. "I _suggest_ that you not say another word. I have fought you and won on a number of occasions, I think I can do it again."

Lucius glared at Harry. "You impudent little pup! I should have killed you when I had the chance."

Harry stepped close, pressing his face close to Lucius'. "You had the chance, and you failed. I'd like to see you try."

Draco looked around and noticed they were starting to draw stares. He stepped forward. "I think it is time for us to go. It has been…interesting Potter."

Draco put a hand on his father's shoulder and turned him away. After one last, hard look Lucius started to walk away. Draco nodded to the group. Before he turned, he looked at Harry. "He did not take the end of the war well. Do not take it personally." Harry nodded and visibly relaxed.

"You are still welcome to the house."

"I still don't like you Potter."

Harry actually smiled, "I know."

"Come along Scorpius."

Scorpius nodded. He whispered to Harry. "I am sorry sir. I didn't know he was coming."

Harry put a hand on Scorpius' shoulder. "I know. You're a good kid. You have my trust. I hope we see you at the party."

Scorpius smiled, and turned to follow his father and grandfather.

XXXXXXXXXX

A/N: Next comes the Christmas party. I wonder if Draco will decide to come with his son or not. Also, I got a request to help write a new story so I may have a few stories going on at one time. I will continue to update this one often because I really enjoy this idea. Thanks for continuing to read and review.


	18. A Christmas to Remember

Over the next few days, nothing was said about the train station. The Malfoy family went on with their normal routines. Scorpius was thankful that nothing else had been said about Harry's comments to Lucius. His dad had basically ignored the conversations after they got home. His grandfather had gone to get a drink before heading home.

When his grandparents came over later that night, again nothing was said about the train station. He went to bed, slightly relieved, and yet worried all the same. He kept waiting for a confrontation from his grandfather, or even his father. But it never came, and he soon began to relax.

He had been home for only two days before Bludger came knocking on the window at breakfast. At the sound Draco put down his newspaper. He looked up, delicately wiping his mouth with a napkin to see a falcon had landed on Scorpius' shoulder. 

With a raised eyebrow, Draco glanced at the falcon. "What is that?"

Scorpius stroked Bludger's head as he untied the note on his leg. Bludger had already dropped a lumpy package on the floor at Scorpius' feet. "This is Lily's falcon, Bludger."

"Lily?"

Scorpius glanced up, "Lily Potter, from the train." His dad gave a startled look. _I guess he forgot her name. Of course, he was focused on Harry at the time._ Draco picked up his paper.

"Ah yes. The youngest Potter correct?" He didn't wait for an answer. He snapped open his paper again, but he was not finished with the conversation. "So how did you end up with a Potter as a friend?"

Scorpius broke up a piece of bacon and began to feed Bludger. He thought for a minute before starting to explain. He told his father the story of meeting Lily and how she just kept trying. "I don't know why. I ignored her and glared at her, but she was always smiling at me. She started this friendship." As an afterthought, he added, "She and her brothers aren't conceited or full of themselves like I thought they would be."

Draco had not said anything to Scorpius during the entire telling of the story. The paper had not moved once either, so Scorpius knew his dad had been listening to every word. 

"Just be careful son. Potter and I never saw eye to eye. I can hope his children are different, but watch yourself." Nothing more was said. 

After breakfast, Scorpius rushed to his room with Bludger. He had not wanted to open Lily's letter with his father watching. It was written in small, neat handwriting. It was then he realized that he had missed her a lot in just a few days. He enjoyed being home, but it was so quiet. There were no sudden movements or crazy snowball fights. Everything was done with deliberation. Reading her letter, it was almost like they were sitting under their tree again.

_Dear Scor,_

_I hope everything is going well. I was worried about you when we left the train station. Your grandfather looked really mad! I hope this doesn't ruin your chances to come to the party. We have a really good time. _

_It has been a really strange few days. When I get up to draw in the mornings, I keep expecting to see you. I guess I just got used to having you there. Bludger even seems to miss you. _

_Oh, Grandma Weasley heard about my new friend from Uncle George so she wanted to send you a little gift. I hope you like it. Mum and Dad also sent you a little something. _

_Well, I best be off. Albus and James are up. We are going to go play some quidditch with our cousins today so I need to get moving. _

_Can't wait to see you again._

_Love Lily _

Scorpius read the note and smiled. It was so Lily. He grabbed a quill to write back.

_Dear Lily,_

_Don't worry, everything is fine here. Grandfather didn't say anything once we left the station, and Dad just wanted to know how we had met. I think I might still have a chance to make it to the party, if I play my cards right. _

_Bludger made it safe and sound. Hope you don't mind, but I gave him some bacon. I know what you mean about feeling strange. I keep looking over expecting you and Bludger to come over the hill._

_I really notice its quiet around here. No other voices interrupting conversations or shouting about their quidditch team. Thank your grandma for me. I didn't expect anything. I am sure I will love it. I'll finish this so Bludger can be on his way._

_Hope to see you soon,_

_Scorpius_

The letter was rolled up and tied to Bludger's leg. Within moments, the falcon was out of sight. Scorpius sighed, it was much too quiet.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Scorpius and Lily wrote back and forth for days. It seemed like there was always an owl or a falcon at the window. The two had taken to carrying scraps of parchment and quills everywhere. Scorpius thought about the two gifts he had gotten Lily. It would be much easier after Christmas and they put the gift to use. He smiled as he once again sent Bludger on his way. Maybe he should have told her to open her gifts early. 

Scorpius was still waiting for an answer from his dad about going to the Potter's Christmas party. He didn't want to push things with his dad. He knew patience was the key with his dad. Harry had sent a formal invitation two days ago, but Draco had yet to respond. They still had four days until the party.

XXXXXXXXXX

Scorpius Malfoy woke up on Christmas morning more excited than he could remember. He was not excited for his gifts, but more about Lily's reaction to her gifts. From his trunk, he pulled a new piece of parchment out of his trunk and ran downstairs. There he found small piles of presents. 

It didn't take long for Draco and Astoria to make it down for gift giving. Scorpius had given his mother a beautiful new hat and scarf. For his father, Scorpius had found a cloak in a deep emerald green. 

Draco and Astoria began to open gifts and cards from friends and Scorpius turned to his small pile.

He began to open gifts. His parents had given him a brand new broom. The best on the market. Probably a good thing. He had seen Lily fly and he was going to need every advantage. From Albus and James, he got a book about quidditch and a pair of gloves for quidditch games.

From Blain he received a bag of tricks from Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. Perfect for playing little tricks during the year. Lily's parents had sent him a blanket. He read the note. _This blanket will always stay warm. Great for after those early morning practices. Merry Christmas._

Scorpius stared at the blanket, and then he gave a huge smile. This was perfect for mornings at the tree. Next came Grandma Weasley's gift. It was a knitted jumper. It was an emerald green. He was floored. A woman he didn't even know had made this for him. He held it up, showing his parents. 

"Who is that from Scorpius?"

"The Weasleys." His parents too looked floored. Finally his mother spoke, "Well you will have to send then a thank you note."

Finally came Lily's gift. It was small and Scorpius took his time opening it. Inside was a small square mirror. It wasn't fancy, just a plain little mirror. Confused, he studied it carefully. Finally he noticed the note attached to the back. _Scor, this is a two way mirror. I guess my granddad and his best friend, Sirius, used them all the time detention. All you have to do is say my name. Love, Lily._

Scorpius held the small mirror up and almost laughed. He wanted to go try it out but he knew he would have to wait. He quickly thanked his parents again for the gifts and the family went to have breakfast. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After breakfast, Scorpius unrolled the piece of parchment he had been carrying. What had once been clean, new parchment, now had Lily's small neat writing. _I can't believe we thought of the same thing! Well similar anyways. I can't wait to hear about your Christmas._

Scorpius smiled at the parchment. It too had a two way charm on it. Anything written on one parchment instantly showed up on the other. He thought it would be great for when they were bored in class, or when it was late and they couldn't sleep. 

Scorpius raced to his room. He lay back on his bed holding the mirror. 

"Lily."

It took just a second and Lily's face appeared. "Scor! Merry Christmas! Thank you for my gifts, they are wonderful!" 

Scorpius smiled at her. "Thank you. I love the mirror. Tell your family thank you from me too. How was your Christmas morning?"

"Wonderful. Albus loves the quidditch book and James can't wait to try out some of the jokes from the book you gave him." Scorpius saw her smile and lean back. He could see that she was wearing his other gift. 

"Glad to see the cloak fits."

"Oh it's wonderful, and the blue is amazing! It was so warm when I put it on that I haven't taken it off. The parchment is wonderful too. I can't wait to use it." The cloak Scorpius had found was a deep, dark blue that set off her eyes and hair. It also had a warming charm for their early mornings. He smiled at her enthusiasm. 

"So any news about the party?" Scorpius shook his head. 

"I wouldn't be too worried, I will probably be there. Dad just hasn't told me if it is OK or not."

Lily nodded. Scorpius could hear someone calling her name. "Shoot, I guess it's on to the next thing. I'll talk to you later. Bye."

"Bye." The mirror went dark.

That night, at dinner, Draco looked up from his plate. "I talked to your friend's dad today. Your mother and I already have a party to go to, but we see no reason why you cannot go to your friend's party. They will come by to pick you up tomorrow, and you can stay there for a few days. They will drop you back off here. You had best make sure you are packed."

Scorpius smiled widely. "Thank you Dad." Draco merely went back to eating dinner, but a small smile creased his face. 


	19. AN Overwhelmed Malfoy

Scorpius sat in the hallway with his bag packed and ready. He was taping his foot impatiently. He had contacted Lily immediately after he had the OK from his dad, and they had been talking ever since. Harry had finally told Lily to put the mirror away (Lily had opened the parchment away from prying eyes, so they didn't know about that) so she could help get things ready for Scorpius' arrival.

He had been packed and ready in moments, and now he had nothing to do but wait. He hated waiting. He sat on the stairs, near the fireplace and huffed in annoyance. Scorpius dug into his bag, looking for something to entertain him until the Potters arrived to get him.

He pulled out the book James had given to him for Christmas. He had been so excited about leaving that he had yet to look through his new book. Scorpius began to flip through pages, not really in a reading mood. 

As he flipped, something fluttered to the floor. Intrigued, Scorpius looked down at the back of a photograph. A note was written on the back. 

_After hearing about you, I figure you are just the kind of friend she needs. I heard about the little joke Dad played on Lily. Nice playing along. Thought you might like to see the photo that goes with the story. Just don't let Lily know I sent this to you. James_

Scorpius flipped it over to see a small naked Lily knee deep in mud. She was laughing, and holding up her chubby little arms wanting to be lifted out of the mud. She had beautiful red curls, and rosy cheeks. Scorpius laughed, looking at the figures in the background laughing. She really had been a cute kid.

He didn't get a chance to check for more photos because just then a head appeared in the fire. It was Harry. "Is it OK to come through?" Scorpius nodded, and tucked the photo away.

Harry came through the fire, followed by Lily. Scorpius rushed to hug her tightly. As they dusted themselves off, Scorpius went to let his dad know they had arrived. By the time he made it back, they had sent on his bag. Draco came in the room and nodded at Harry. 

"Thank you for letting us take Scorpius for a few days. Lily is very excited to get to spend some time with him. We will bring him back the day after the party if that is alright."

"That should be fine." Draco looked at Scorpius. "Behave yourself. Your mother and I will see you in a few days." He put a hand on his sons shoulder and gave him a customary squeeze. 

"Of course sir." Scorpius followed the Potters to the fire. Lily was the first to step into the fire. She threw in some floo powder and shouted "Rose Haven" and she was gone.

When Scorpius stepped out of the fire, he was met with quite a sight. He was in a warm, bright kitchen. A large table sat with a white table cloth. There were fresh flowers in a vase. The kitchen just seemed warm and inviting and huge, though from the looks of all the people, it had to be otherwise no one would fit. 

In the kitchen stood Ginny Potter, James, Albus, Rose, Hugo, Blain, Harry, Lily, Ron, and another woman he assumed was Rose and Hugo's mum, Hermione. They were all talking. Lily ran to his side and pulled him towards everyone. 

Introductions were made and Lily added, "Not everyone is here of course. They won't show up until tomorrow, but I think Teddy will be here tonight and maybe Lor and Ly." 

Scorpius looked up at Lily, "How may people will be here tomorrow?"

Lily began to list names, "Let's see, everyone already mentioned, Teddy's grandma, Andromeda, Uncle George, Aunt Angelina, Fred, Roxy, Uncle Bill, Aunt Fluer, Victorie, Dominique, Louis, Uncle Percy, Aunt Audrey,Molly, Lucy, Uncle Charlie…" 

Scorpius' eyes began to widen. He hadn't expected so many people, and Lily was still going strong. "… Aunt Luna and Uncle Rufus, Aunt Hermione's parents, Grandma and Grandpa Weasley, Professor Longbottom and his wife, Hannah, Hagrid…"

Scorpius held up his hands in surrender, "OK, I give up. There is no way I will remember all those people."

Lily laughed, "Most of the people are family, so I wouldn't sweat it. I mean you already go to school with most of them, you just don't know the adults. We don't usually have everyone together, but Teddy proposed to Victorie a few months ago, so this is a way to get together to congratulate them. Most of the attention will be on them and the upcoming wedding."

"When is the wedding?"

"Not for awhile. They want a long engagement. I think they are going to wait a few summers but Teddy told her that he wanted other guys to know she was taken in the meantime." Lily was laughing.

Albus and Rose came over. Albus looked at Scor, "You'll be staying in my room. Come on." They headed upstairs. Albus' room was warm and inviting. The walls were covered by quidditch posters. The room looked out over a huge field and garden. The sun was out, making the snow glisten. Just past the garden, Scorpius could see the edge of a deep blue lake. 

"Wow, this is great." 

"Check out the ceiling if you want amazing."

Scorpius looked up to see sky. Someone had painted the sky as if you were looking up at the quidditch pitch. As he watched, Scorpius saw a team take flight. They were the school teams. One was Gryfindor and the other was Slytherin. They started playing. 

"That is amazing."

"Yeah, the teams change regularly, so I never get bored with it." Albus looked up at the ceiling along with Scorpius. "Dad and Mum did this after I was born."

"Hey, you guys, lets go play quidditch!" James came running in. It took no time at all before all the kids were out playing. Lily and Scorpius were playing seeker. James and Hugo were on one team and Albus and Rose were on the other. 

It was wonderful. Being an only child, Scorpius never really had pick up games of quidditch. It was usually planned to have a game with his friends over the summer. He and Lily were pretty evenly matched. "Consider it practice, Scor. You're going to need it." 

Lily had flown up next to him and whispered in his ear. Scorpius took her up on her challenge. It soon became war between the two seekers. They were diving, rolling, and shooting straight into the air. They seemed to spot the snitch at the same time. Both shot for the ground. Scorpius reached his hand out, he could feel the tiny wings hit his fingertips. Just a little more, but then Lily's small hand closed around the tiny golden ball. The two pulled up, Lily with her arm up triumphantly. 

Albus and Rose began to cheer. The teams had been close, so the snitch had won them the round. The teams flew to the ground for a quick celebration and a short break. Scorpius slung an arm around Lily.

"Next time, Potter." Lily smiled at him. 

"You're good Scor. I think you may give me a run for my money."

Amazingly, he didn't feel disappointed at not catching the snitch. He had been really evenly matched with Lily, and he felt really challenged for the first time in a long time. He was grinning like an idiot.

Lily looked at his smile. "I know what you mean. That was some amazing flying. Wanna try again?"

"You bet!" Scorpius and Lily shot into the air. The teams continued to play on below them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They played game after game. For every game that Lily won, Scorpius matched her. Finally both teams were worn out. They all headed into the house tired, but happy. When Scorpius heard about the number of people to expect, he had been overwhelmed, but now he saw a room full of people, and yet he was having the time of his life.

The kids now all sat on the rug in the living room. They sat around with the adults. There were small conversations going on around them. Ron and Harry were playing a game of wizards chess. Ron was winning.

Albus and James were playing a game of exploding snap. Hugo was watching the two. Rose was reading a book by the fire. Ginny and Hermione were sitting on the couch, talking quietly. Every once in awhile, they would look up at the chess game and smile. 

Lily had her sketch book out and she was lost in thought. Scorpius sat taking it all in. There was a knock on the door. Harry stood as a young man came into the room. He walked right up to Harry and gave him a hug. "Teddy, I was wondering when we would see you."

The young man smiled, "Hi Uncle Harry. Sorry, Grandma was baking and she wanted to talk while she was doing it. I think the house is getting a little quiet now that I've moved out."

"Teddy!" Lily came out of her little world and realized that someone else had joined the room. She ran to the tall youth and was swept into a hug. "Lily Bean! How's the first year going?"

By now, everyone was up waiting for their hug from the newcomer. He was hugging Ginny and spotted Scorpius. "Well well well, I know that look. You must be a Malfoy. I heard Lily was making friends, but I didn't expect you."

Scorpius stood up. "I'm not sure if I should be insulted or not."

Teddy laughed, "Relax. I'm from the same family, so I hope it wasn't a complete insult. How are you cuz?"

Scorpius gave Teddy a confused look. Harry stepped in. "I think you're second cousins. Your grandmother and Teddy's grandmother are sisters. His mom and your dad are cousins." It clicked with Scorpius.

"Sorry. Dad doesn't talk about you much." As soon as it left his mouth, he realized how snotty that sounded. "umm, sorry, I didn't mean it to come out like that." Lily giggled, and put an arm around his waist.

"Don't worry about it. Grandma doesn't talk about your side much either, so we are even. Nice to meet you."

Teddy was tall with a definite sense of style. He was cool. He had a pierced ear and the latest style in clothes. His hair was pitch black with shots of turquoise running through it. James was now standing next to Teddy. 

With a spot open for exploding snap, Hugo sat down to play with Albus and the room settled back down. Teddy and Harry talked a bit as James took on his uncle playing chess. Teddy had just finished auror training and was now working for Harry at the ministry. 

That was how the evening went on. People got up and changed who they were sitting and talking to, and people changed what they were doing, but the family stayed in the living room. It was so comfy here, sitting with the Potters. Was this what it would be like to have a large family? What it would be like to have siblings? 

As he lay down on the extra bed placed in Albus' room, Scorpius thought about the differences between the two families. He watched the quidditch game going on above his head. It looked like the Chuddley Cannons this time. They were practicing rather than playing a full game. Scorpius fell asleep with a smile on his face.

XXXXXXXXXXX

The next day was full of activity. The group yesterday had been large for Scorpius, but nothing compared to the group that descended upon them the next day. The entire Weasley clan was there. Lily whispered to Scor, "This is why we have such a large kitchen. It seems like everyone congregates here when we get together."

People seemed to be everywhere. It was loud and boisterous. Teddy and Victoire were always surrounded. Grandma Weasley had spotted Scorpius and immediately hugged him hard. He had thanked her for the sweater with big eyes. He was starting to feel crushed with all the people.

They all seemed intrigued at the thought of a Malfoy at the Potter/Weasley Christmas party. He and Lily were bombarded with questions. He received so many warnings that he could not quote them back to the group. He was hugged, slapped on the back, and pulled in every direction. 

At least Lily stayed with him the whole time. She smiled at him, "Just wait till the friends start showing up."

Scorpius looked at her with fearful eyes, "There are more!" She laughed. 

"Of course. This is a small gathering so far." At his look, she seemed to take pity. "Want to go outside? I could use some space."

He followed her out. They spent an hour or so in the peace by the lake. He was feeling calmer about the crowd. He could handle it. He was a Malfoy after all. With this mantra running though his mind, they plunged back into the crowd. 

By now he had lost track of names and relations. He was floating in a sea of people. He thought his head was going to explode. Lily stayed by his side, sensing his unease, but that just meant more people. Her friends Lor and Ly, the twins were with them for awhile. They were a quiet set of twins, so that helped him. Before long, they wandered off to go see Hugo. The house began to smell of delicious food and stomachs started to rumble. Soon the crowd was moved outside.

Warm tents were set up outside with tables of food. They took their seats and soon the talking ceased. Everyone's mouth was full. Lily leaned over, "How are you doing?"

"Better, now that they stopped asking me what my intentions are."

"Just be grateful Teddy and Victoire are here. That was their main focus. You would have been given the third degree if they hadn't been here." 

Teddy looked up at the couple, they were surrounded even at the table. He shuddered at the thought of having the full Weasley clan descend upon him at one time.

"Lily, you have a very intimidating family."

She just smiled and the two went back to enjoying the food.

With full stomachs, the activity settled down. Scorpius found he was growing used to the crowd. They were calm now, sharing stories and talking. Some were even starting their goodbyes. Scorpius realized that he had not seen any of Lily's siblings for some time. He asked Lily about it.

"Oh, well we all have friends here. I am sure they have run off with them." Just then, Scorpius saw Rose. She was laughing at someone in the crowd. He couldn't see who it was. He went back to talking with Lily. 

Every once in awhile, he would glance up, and as he did, the sea parted for an instant. His heart stopped. There was Rose, laughing with a girl in the crowd. The girl was beautiful. She was tall with olive skin and long, long, hair. He couldn't seem to take his eyes off of her. 

"Lily, who is that?"

"Who?"

He pointed to the girl talking with Rose.

"Oh, that's Melinda. She's a 3rd year Ravenclaw Rose knows. Her dad works with my mum at the paper."

All of a sudden, the party didn't seem so intimidating. 


	20. Friends are Asexual

It had been weeks since the party. Scorpius had never gained the courage to go up to Melinda, and now she was all he seemed to think about. He had caught glimpses of her throughout the rest of the party, but she had always been with Rose. Scorpius did not know the young Weasley well enough to have an excuse to talk to her and thus get introduced to her friend. 

After arriving back at Hogwarts, Scorpius had been looking for the Ravenclaw girl. He checked his classes, he looked around the halls, and he checked at meal times. He didn't have a class with the Ravenclaws, so he had no luck there. Every once in awhile, he would spot her in the halls but his best bet was at dinner.

Of course, that didn't mean he had a chance to talk to her there. First off, despite his friendships with Lily, Scorpius never left his Slytherin table. You just didn't sit down at another table. Melinda also seemed to be surrounded by people…all the time. Didn't she ever get sick of all those damn people? 

To make matters worse, Lily knew something was up. She had noticed his lack of concentration during their talks and his preoccupation for scanning the crowds. Lily knew Melinda, she was Rose's friend after all. He just hadn't thought of a way to bring up the subject. He needed to be subtle; he certainly didn't need Lily giving him a hard time over a girl. 

The two were enjoying the Saturday morning sun. Lily had on her heated cloak and they sat under Scorpius' heated blanket. It was perfect. He glanced down at her sketch book and a thought hit him. 

"So, Lils, did you get some sketching done at the party? I know you were talking about not seeing the whole family together very often."

Lily didn't even look up from her book. Her brows came down as she stared at her book. It was the look of concentration he saw on her face often. It was a look he associated as uniquely Lily. 

"I filled about half my book. Most are just rough sketches, but I think I got some great ideas started."

He made sure his face revealed nothing. "Would you mind if I took a look?"

She looked up this time, giving him a searching look. He had been sitting with her for months now, and he knew that she did not like to show anyone her work unless it was finished. In fact, she very rarely showed anyone her sketches. Scorpius had seen almost all of it though. Over Christmas, he had seen her room. She had tons of little sketch books. It had been amazing to see. She hesitated, but finally rummaged in her bag, pulling out a book.

"I guess."

Scorpius began to flip through. For a moment, he forgot why he had asked to see the book. Even the rough sketches seemed to have a life. He could almost see them moving across the page. He saw a picture of Albus reading a book with Rosie. There was a sketch of her parents relaxing on the couch. James and Teddy were laughing at a joke someone was telling. He remembered these scenes, and he could picture himself back in the warm living room surrounded by the people.

There were even sketches of him. There he was on his broom, and sitting by the fire. There was even a sketch of him talking to Harry. He looked in amazement, "Even after months, you still amaze me. These are great."

He looked through more pages, not noticing Lily's slight blush. He turned a page, and there it was. OK, he had to be cool, and calm. He could pull this off. "I really like this one of Rose. You know, I know almost all of the people with her. I mean, there's her friend…ummm…well I forget her name."

Lily glanced at the book. "That's Melinda Jacobs"

"Oh, yes now I remember. You told me about her. She's a Hufflepuff I think you said."

Lily gave him a look, "Ravenclaw."

OK, maybe he was acting a little too dumb. "So how long has Rose been friends with her?"

"A few years. Like I said, Mel's dad works with my mum at the paper. He is an editor."

"Oh, so you must know her too."

Lily actually put down her sketch pad. She rolled her eyes at him. "God, you are so obvious. If you want to know about her, just ask."

"No, I…well...umm." He looked at Lily. She was staring at him with an exasperated look. She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. He gave up. He couldn't believe he thought he could fool her for a second. He grinned sheepishly. "Was I really that obvious?"

"Not until you stared asking all the questions." She uncrossed her arms and laughed. "Honestly, you boys are so dense. At least the vacant look makes sense now."

"What vacant look?"

"The love sick puppy look you have had for weeks."

He adopted an injured look, "I have not had a puppy love look!" He gave a wink, "Well, maybe a small one."

She laughed again. "OK, what can I tell you about her?" 

"Everything you know, but you can start with boyfriend or not?"

"No, as far as I know she isn't dating anyone. She is an only child. She is really smart, but loves a good joke. Her favorite color is blue, she loves roses, and she loves to read by the fire. She had her birthday last October. Mel is a potions geek, and she really loves all kinds of animals. She has a pet cat named Smoochie. Does that give you a start?"

"I think so, thanks."

"Great, now can we move on for the day? You interrupted my flow."

Scorpius laughed and settled back down. Now his only problem was meeting Melinda Jacobs.

XXXXXXXXX

Another two weeks went by, and he was no closer to meeting the elusive brunette. Lily had taken to asking him every day whether or not he had made his move. It was now half way into February, and it was starting to get annoying. It was made worse by the devious little twinkle in her eyes every time she asked him about his little puppy crush. 

Honestly, she looked like she was getting annoyed with his lack of action too. They were sitting in class, writing to each other on the two way parchment.

_What class are you in, Lily?_

_History of Magic. Lord, I think he gets more boring every day._

_Yeah, he never gets any better. Defense is all lecture today so it is just as bad._

_I'd rather be there. So any news on the love of your life._

_Har har. Anyone told you how funny you are? You should take it on the road._

_I know, I am rather hilarious, but if I took it on the road, you would miss me. You still didn't answer my question._

_That's because you always know the answer. Nothing._

_Why are you taking so long? _

Scorpius thought about it for a second. Then he decided that a little honesty was in order. Maybe that would get her off his back for a little while. 

_Because I don't know what to do to start a conversation with a girl. I don't know how to talk to girls._

_You talk to me._

_You're not a girl, you're Lily. _The minute he wrote it, he knew it was the wrong thing. B Maybe humor would get him out of this. 

_Excuse me? What the hell do you think I am then?_

_My friend. That makes you asexual. _

_Thank you so much. So I am an asexual being, I must know nothing about talking to either sex. I mean, it would be too much to ask for my help in the area of girls, because I am not one._

_That wasn't what I meant. _OK, so humor had not been the way to go. Time to move onto apology. 

_Whatever. You can be a right arse Scor._

_Look, I'm sorry. That came out wrong. You are a beautiful, intelligent girl and I should be on my knees begging for your help oh glorious one._

_A little over the top, but at least you are finally accepting my superiority. Meet me in the library after dinner. I may just impart some wisdom. _

Scorpius laughed softly to himself. The nice thing about Lily was that she didn't get mad. Sure, he had irritated her, but she had accepted his apology and moved on. He turned back to the lecture and waited for dinner.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

In the library, Scorpius sat twiddling his thumbs. She was late. She knew how he hated to wait, so this must be punishment for calling her asexual. Wrong move. Ten more minutes passed and he was getting pissed. He heard a footstep and turned to give Lily a piece of his mind.

He turned to come face to face with Melinda Jacobs. Lily was close behind.

"Mel, I want you to meet Scorpius Malfoy. He thinks you are hot." Scorpius gave her a death glare. How embarrassing. Lily just winked and continued. "Scor, this is Melinda Jacobs, she has a thing for blondes. Have fun you two." Lily was gone.

Melinda was laughing. "Nice to meet you Scor. Sorry about Lils. She does like to give out the facts. I do like blondes." 

Scorpius was pulled from his thoughts of killing Lily. All of a sudden, he was ready to throw her a party. "Yeah, well, she's alright. It's nice to meet you." 

He couldn't remember a better time in the library. 

XXXXXXXXXX

The next day, Scorpius was again in the library. He was sitting with Lily. "I don't know how to thank you Lils. She is wonderful, we just talked forever. I am going with her to the next Hogsmeade trip."

He had regaled her with every detail of Melinda Jacobs and he was sure she was sick of hearing the name, but he couldn't help it. It had been wonderful. 

"Don't mention it…really. If you want to thank me, don't mention it again for at least 24 hours, OK?"

"OK. I promise."

They began to talk quietly about classes and small talk. Neither noticed the figure standing behind a few rows of books, nor the wand that was out. 

Lily and Scorpius stood to leave. Scorpius was waiting at the end of an aisle of books, waiting for Lily when he heard what sounded like a muttered spell. All of a sudden, books started flying off the shelves. The shelves began to sway and tip. Lily looked up and screamed. 

"Lily! Move!" He ran towards her, but there was a sickening crunch and the book shelves collapsed. When the dust settled, Lily Potter was buried beneath an avalanche of books and shelves. 


	21. Blame

The shock rendered Scorpius motionless. He seemed to be able to do nothing but stare at the huge pile of books. He took a tentative step forward, "Lily?" he whispered. There was no answer. He took another step. He scanned the books, and then he saw it. It was Lily's small hand resting on the top pile of books. That small hand launched Scorpius into a frenzy.

He began throwing books left and right, trying desperately to reach his friend. He never noticed the other students that arrived. The librarian came screaming around the corner, but he took no notice of it. He just knew he had to get to Lily. He just kept calling her name, hoping for an answer.

Others seemed to realize someone was under there and they began to move the books along with him. Within minutes, Scorpius could see Lily emerge from books, but she wasn't moving. His heart was beating so fast, he felt like it was going to erupt from his chest. He leaned in and shook her shoulder.

"Lily!"

She didn't respond. "Lily! Lily Luna Potter, you will answer me! Do you hear me? Wake up!" He shook harder. He looked at her closely. Bruises were already forming on her arms, and even a few on her face. Scrapes covered her legs and arms. She had been lucky. She had been hit by hundreds of books, but the sturdy table they had been sitting at had kept the book case from crushing her. He held her hand, as far as he was concerned, no one else existed at this moment.

He noticed something wrong with her hair. He reached to stroke her hair, but his hand came back sticky. It took his brain a full minute to register what he was seeing. _Blood! Shit, she had blood everywhere!_ By now, students were surrounding him and teachers were fighting to get through the crowd. Scorpius did not give them a chance to break in, he hauled Lily up himself and he began running to the hospital wing.

She was so small, so light. He could feel the blood from her head soak his arm and drip down. He ran faster. Bursting through the doors, he ran straight to Madam Pomfrey. He was in a panic as he followed the directions of the medi witch. 

At one point, someone tried to pull him away from Lily's side. He couldn't even remember who it was, but one look from him, and they backed away quickly. No one bothered him. Lily's family came to check on her, but Scorpius just sat, stony faced, watching the rise and fall of her chest. He was sure they wanted to ask questions, but one look at his face, and they left him to his silent vigil. 

It grew dark outside, but he just sat holding her hand. He was waiting for a sign that she was OK. That was all he needed. He had not realized how much her friendship had come to mean. They talked almost constantly. She was his confidant. He couldn't imagine his life without her smiling laugh. _Merlin, when did I get so mushy. _But one more look at her bruised and battered face, he knew that it was all true. 

Somewhere in his mind, he knew she was fine. But he also knew that until she told him she was fine, he was not going to believe it. 

Before long someone came in a placed a hand on his shoulder. Something about it made Scorpius look up. He turned and there was none other than Harry Potter. Harry looked at him with concerned eyes. He gave another squeeze before sitting down. With a flick of his wand, a table appeared between the two. On the table there were piping hot plates of food and ice cold pumpkin juice. Without talking, the two began to eat dinner. It seemed to breathe new life into Scorpius. He looked at Harry.

"I expected to see you earlier, well you or her mum."

Harry nodded. "We heard from Poppy awhile ago. She said it wasn't nearly as serious as her fall earlier this year, so we trusted her. Lils doesn't like the attention, so we didn't want to embarrass her."

"But I bet she would still want to see you after this."

"Well, we wanted to give her a chance to wake up before we came barging in. We only wanted to come if she wanted to see us. Like I said, she doesn't like the attention for getting hurt."

Scorpius understood. Despite her personality, Lily didn't like attention. She preferred that others got it. He looked at Harry. "So then why are you here sir?"

Harry leaned back, looking at Scor. "I got a floo call from Poppy. Seems no one can get you to leave her side. Albus, Blain, and Rosie all came in trying to pull you away, but they couldn't get you to respond to a thing they said. They were worried about you and thought maybe you would talk to me."

Scorpius looked over at Lily. He watched the rise and fall…rise and fall. He found himself talking. "She looked right at me, she called my name, and I couldn't help her. All of a sudden the books were falling, and before I could get to her, the shelf was coming down. She would have pushed me out of the way, but I couldn't get to her. I need to know she is OK."

Harry was quiet for a minute. He really was a lot like his daughter. "You know I love Lily. And…you must keep this next part to yourself…Lily is probably the most talented of my children. James and Albus are very talented wizards, but Lily is amazing. I haven't seen someone with her aptitude for complex spells before. Well except her Aunt Hermione. My question is, what makes you think she would have been able to save you if the positions were switched?"

Scorpius was startled by the question. Of course Lily would have done something. She wouldn't have let him get hurt. The thoughts must have been written across his face, because Harry nodded. "I know what you're thinking. Lily would never willingly let you get hurt. But, would you willingly let Lily get hurt?" Scorpius was already shaking his head. "No, I know you wouldn't. I told you you had my trust that day on the train platform. Do you know why?"

Scorpius shook his head. "Lucius is not a nice man. He never was. When I was growing up, he scared me, but I stood up to him."

Scorpius interrupted, "That's because you are brave. I mean everyone says it. That's why everyone in the Potter family is in Gryfindor. They are all brave. That isn't something unusual for you."

"Yes, but you see, real bravery is doing something you know is right, even though it scares you. I saw you on that platform. You were…wary…of your grandfather. You know what he is capable of, and yet you stood in front of my daughter. You placed yourself in his path so that Lily would be safe. That is when you earned my trust."

Scorpius looked down at his hands. "But I failed your trust this time. She got hurt."

"You failed nothing. There was nothing you could do when all the books were falling. But from what I understand, you were there in the middle of it trying to help her. You were calling her name and throwing books off of her, trying to get her out. When you realized she was bleeding, you rushed her to Poppy. You have stayed with her ever since. How did you fail her? She is going to be alright because you were quick to get her help. We cannot always keep the people we care about from getting hurt, but we can do our best to help them. Do not blame yourself for her hurts. Lily would hardly appreciate it."

Harry fell silent. Scorpius sat quietly, soaking in his words. They made sense. He would never let her get hurt, but he could not keep her from getting hurt. And he had helped her. She was going to be alright. Suddenly, he felt a weight lift from his chest. He smiled at Harry. "Thank you. I needed to hear it."

Harry smiled. "Everyone needs to be reminded of it from time to time. You are a good friend to her. I expect to see you sometime this summer." Harry leaned over and kissed Lily on the forehead. With a gentle wave, he was out the door.

Scorpius sat holding Lily's hand. He may have felt better, but he was still going to wait for her to wake up. That little piece of him still needed to know she was fine. He felt himself start to doze in his chair. He decided to rest his head for just a moment. He lay his head down on the bed so he could still see the rise and fall of her chest. He closed his eyes and listened to her breathing. 

He was asleep within minutes, still holding her hand. Madam Pomfrey looked at the two little figures. He had been so distraught when the young girl had been brought I that she had not the heart to send him out to wait. She saw intertwined hands and she smiled. With a casual lick of her wand, a blanket settled on the sleeping boy. With one last smile, she walked back into her office, leaving the two young friends to sleep, comforted by each others presence. 


	22. Betting on Insults

Months had passed. It seemed as if the hospital stay was just a bad memory. Scorpius had woken the next morning, stiff and a bit grumpy, but he had woken to a beautifully bright smile. Nothing else had mattered. All of a sudden, every ache and pain had disappeared and Lily was back.

He hadn't let her out of his sight for two whole weeks after that. She had finally threatened to hex him if he didn't back off. After that, they had gone back to their normal routine. 

There was only a slight difference in this routine. After dinner, he would meet up with his now girlfriend, Melinda. It seemed like the year from hell had turned around completely. Mel was wonderful. They shared jokes and talked away the hours. Sometimes they worked on homework or griped about classes. Of course it didn't hurt that she was a great kisser. 

It had been a bit of a shock that a Slytherin was dating a Ravenclaw. Amazingly, many still did not know that Scorpius was friends with Lily Potter. They did not talk together between classes or eat together. Even after the incident in the library, few really knew they were friends. When he was seen talking to the Gryfindors, it was assumed that he was talking to Blain. 

His Slytherin friends all claimed he had gone off the deep end. Imagine dating a Ravenclaw, but one look at the beautiful girl and the boys seemed to forget. After all, it wasn't like he was dating a Gryfindor. The girls needed more convincing, so he was not yet bringing the new girlfriend to meet his Slytherin friends. 

Of course, Mel had known Lily. She had not known how close Scor and Lily were, but she didn't seem to mind. His life seemed perfect. Lily was her usual, bubbly self. She had given him something extra special for his birthday. It was a small painting of the two of them and their tree. It was perfect in every detail. Right now, that little painting was sitting in his trunk. He looked at it every night, grateful for the amazing friend he had made. Life continued to improve.

He was still friends with Blain though they still didn't spend a ton of time together. Blain seemed to realize that he had been replaced in the best friend department, but that didn't seem to bother either of the two. They always found time to keep in touch, so their friendship was going strong. Of course it helped that their best friends were siblings. The four, Albus, Blain, Lily, and Scorpius, could often be found in empty classrooms, outside by the lake, or just relaxing. 

He had even seen Harry Potter again. Harry had been brought in to give a lecture for Defense Against the Dark Arts. Harry was a pretty good teacher. Even the Slytherin class had been hanging on his every word. It had been a discussion on shield spells. It was amazing how effortless he seemed to make it. With barely a flick, he was able to produce shield against some pretty heavy duty curses. After the lecture, Harry had even pulled him aside to see how he was doing.

Scorpius would not say that he was star struck. It was more a respectful adoration. Ever since the talk the two had, Scorpius had found that a smile from Harry Potter was just as good as a smile from his own father. He found that he did not want to disappoint the great auror. He even found himself imagining what it would be like to become an auror himself. Scorpius was looking forward to possibly spending some time over the summer talking to Harry about the career, or just talking in general. Draco Malfoy did not exactly scream _confidant_ when it came to teenage problems. Harry on the other hand, was very approachable. He had that confidence that made you want to talk about your problems because you were sure he could help you solve them. It was becoming an almost perfect year. 

Not everything could be completely perfect however. Slytherin had played Gryfindor for the quidditch cup. It had been a close game. As was traditional, it was a nasty game. There was a huge rivalry between the two sides. This could very well determine the house cup. There had been a lot of tricks and snide comments in the days before the game. 

Scorpius and Lily had taken it in stride. They had even taken to calling each other by surnames just to join the fun. They had joined the name calling, but more as a joke and tradition than anything else. Anyone who knew the two would have seen the humor in their eyes, but those just passing by saw only the heated rivalry of the two.

"_Oy, Potter, You're not yourself today. I noticed the improvement immediately."_

"_Don't piss me off today, Malfoy. I'm running out of places to hide to bodies"_

"_You're not even trying Potter."_

Scorpius could still see her face. She had been trying not to laugh_. "Simple reason Malfoy. I refuse to have a battle of wits between you and me. I never pick on an unarmed man."_

This had gone on for days. Every time they saw each other, they had new insults to try out. It was hard to keep a straight face in the halls. They had even started an insult war on paper. 

"_If ignorance is bliss Scorpius, you must be the happiest person alive."_

"_That was a good one Potter. A thought crossed my mind, they say opposites attract. I hope you meet someone who is good-looking, intelligent, and cultured."_

"_I see you're mind is wandering Scor."_

"_You could say that I guess."_

"_Don't let it. Your mind is way too small to be out by itself."_

"_Haha, you have some good ones today."_

"_Thanks."_

"_My Mom said never talk to strangers and well, since you're really strange... I guess that means I can't talk to you!"_

"_Ouch. Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but you abuse the privilege."_

"_OK, OK, truce. You will this round."_

"_Once again, thank you for bowing to my superiority. So excited for the game?"_

"_Very, but you know we are going to win."_

"_Oh I wouldn't bet on it."_

"_I would."_

"_Hmm, care to make that official?"_

"_Sure. What do I get when we win?"_

"_Hmmm, let me think on that."_

And that was how he had landed in this situation. The game had been so close. Slytherin was behind, but not by much. They were pulling all the stops. There had been a dirty trick or two, but the rule was 'don't get caught' and Slytherins were masters of the rule. 

He and Lily had been an even match the whole way. They had stuck to each other like glue, each looking for a sign of the snitch. Lily had gone into a sudden dive and he had followed. There were neck and neck, but he couldn't see the tiny golden ball. She pulled up at the last minute. Scorpius had almost hit the ground but his flying skills had saved him. He ended up tangled with a flag as he shot back up. Those few precious moments had been all Lily needed. She had found the snitch and the dive had been a ploy to get rid of him for a minute or two. 

And now he was forced to face humiliation. 

"Âne Nu, do I really have to do this?" He had taken to using the nickname again. It was something he only used on occasion, but he loved the spark she would get when he did.

"Yes, you really do. Besides you might even like it."

Scorpius crossed his arms and glared at her. "I doubt it. Come on, let's get this over with." 

When he walked into the goodbye feast, the room went quiet. Lily was already in her seat, laughed out load. Albus and Blain were rolling on the floor. James looked shocked. He spotted Mel. She raised an eyebrow at him. He mouthed 'I lost a bet' and she started to giggle behind a hand. He saw the Slytherins. They were looking at him in horror. This was going to be a long night. Thanks to the quidditch cup, Gryfindor had pulled to the lead with the Slytherins a close second. Damn. He sighed and took his seat.

Persephone was staring, open mouthed. Grayson was smirking. Oz looked like he was facing some horrible monster, and Bernadette was rubbing her eyes. Persephone started. "What the hell is going on?"

"Have no idea what you are talking about." He was grumpy and didn't want to talk about it.

"Yes you do. What happened?"

He growled at Grayson, "I lost a bet."

"A bet with who?"

"I'll let you guess?"

Oz finally joined the conversation, "A Gryfindork?"

"Nice guess."

"Well that would explain the color."

"I really don't want to talk about it." He slumped back in his chair and proceeded to ignore the looks and comments all around him. Despite losing the house cup, and his unfortunate loss of a bet, it had been a great year. He even found himself smiling with his friends. Oh he was going to miss this place over the summer. 

After the festivities, he headed towards his room. Everything was packed for tomorrow. He kissed Melinda and moved off in a state of happy bliss. By the time he was settled, the others were asleep. He looked to find a note on his bed. 

He quietly opened it. It was from Lily. _Just a little something to remember it by. I thought it was hilarious. It should wear off by tomorrow morning. I'll see you on the train tomorrow. Thanks for making my year._

_Love Lily._

Inside was a picture, in full color. It was of Scorpius standing in front of a mirror with Lily, scowling at his reflection. She was laughing, an arm around his middle. It was a wonderful picture, except he looked wrong. Instead of his platinum blond locks, Scorpius was examining the new, bright red tendrils of hair Lily had given him for losing the bet. She had even gone so far as to give him freckles. 

As he looked at the picture, he saw her happy look. She was laughing and her eyes were twinkling, and he couldn't help the small laugh that escaped him. She had truly made this a year to remember. He couldn't think of a better ending. He knew he had made a life long friendship in Lily Potter.

XXXXXXXX

A/N: Next Chapter- Year Two for Lily, Year Four for Scor. Couple more chapters for this story. 

Then I start the sequel. That will focus on Lily's POV and it will go from Scorpius' final year with her until, well, who knows. Basically, I don't want to make this one so long that no one wants to start reading it. 

Thanks to all the reviews. I will continue to update often, and if anyone has ideas for stories, I am looking for some new ideas. Thanks! 


	23. Back to School

The summer had flown by

The summer had flown by. Scorpius couldn't believe that he was back on the train to Hogwarts. Over the summer, he had talked to Lily constantly, thanks to the little mirror and the parchment. His dad had even allowed him a two week trip to see the Potters. Scorpius had not dared to invite Lily over to his house though. Draco may be allowing the visits, but he was hardly going to allow a Potter into his house, at least for the time being.

It had been a wonderful two weeks. They had played quidditch almost every day. They had run down to the lake to have lunch or to go boating. The Potters had small row boats and there was a tiny island in the middle of the lake. The island even had a small copse of trees. A bit like their own tiny forest. It had been a place to get away from the chaos. 

The two had spent every waking moment together. Scorpius had even joined in the festivities for Lily's thirteenth birthday. It had made him laugh. Her birthday was on Halloween.

"Why are we having your party so early?" Scorpius asked as they set the table at the Burrow.

"Because I am off to school, so my parents won't get a chance to help celebrate with me. Albus and James have birthdays closer to Christmas and summer, so we celebrate those birthdays when everyone can be home for holidays."

It had been almost perfect. He and Lily were inseparable, well until a certain friend of Rosie's showed up. Melinda had been thrilled when she saw Scorpius. It had been weeks since they last saw each other. She threw herself at him, and he blushed a deep crimson. He didn't know why, but it was really awkward to be hugged like this in front of Lily's family. He had to remind himself that Lily herself had hugged him like this when he had shown up for the summer holiday, and he had not felt embarrassed. 

That entire day, Melinda had clung to him. He had no chance to pull Lily to the side to give her his gift. It was not a gift he wanted to give in front of everybody, but Melinda was not letting him go anywhere without her. _What had happened to the carefree girl he had dated last year? This one was clingy and talked to him like he was three!_

Lily had been laughing the entire day about it too. She whispered in his ear, "I like the new arm extension."

He had glared at her smiling eyes and growled, "Âne Nu, I would watch it if I were you." 

But he had spoken too loudly. Mel turned from her talk with Rose, her arms still possessively wrapped around one of Scorpius'. "What did you call her? Anne? Her name is Lily." 

Lily started to laugh and Scorpius turned to Mel, "It's just a nickname I gave last year."

Rose smiled, "Yeah, one only you are allowed to use. I don't think anyone else would dare."

Mel gave a stiff smile to Lily. "Oh? And why is that?" 

Lily glared at her cousin and gave Scorpius a warning, "If you tell, I swear to you, I will not be responsible for my actions." 

Rose was laughing, "That's why. I can't believe that she allows Scor to use it. Of course they are really close."

Mel was looking confused. "That's nice. I guess most guys don't get really close to their friends' little sisters."

Scorpius looked at her, "Huh?" 

Mel smiled, "Well Albus must really like that you take so much time to make his little sister feel included. I noticed that you really spent a lot of time doing that last year."

If looks could kill, Mel would be dead. Lily looked at her with blazing eyes. "That 'little sister' is standing right here. And why would you assume that Scor is here to see Al? Have you seen them spending any time together today?"

"Well, no. But who else would he be here to see?" Mel was generally confused.

"Me. Remember, the one that introduced you two. I am the friend Scorpius came to visit."

"But, no offense, you are two years younger." Her words stopped, and she looked from Scorpius to Lily. Realization dawned, "Oh. I see. So Lily is the amazing friend you have." Scorpius watched a slight change come over Mel. She gripped his arm a little tighter and gave a cold smile to Lily. She turned away and began to talk to Rose again. Rose, meanwhile, was giving Lily a pointed look, and Lily in turn was fuming. _Why do I feel like I missed something really important?_

The mood between Lily and Melinda had been tense ever since that. Oh well, guess things can't be perfect. He was sitting on the train with his Slytherin friends. It had taken him a half hour to shake Mel off his arm. She had followed him until he had slipped into the Slytherin compartment with a promise to come find her later.

Leaning back against the door, he heaved a sigh of relief. Freedom at last. He opened his eyes to see Persephone and Oz staring back at him. Persephone was laughing, "Still dating the little Ravenclaw are you?"

Scorpius threw himself to the bench and crossed his arms, "Why are girls so bloody difficult? She was funny, and sweet, and a great kisser. Now, I can't get her to leave me alone. What the hell happened over the holiday to make her change?"

Persephone was laughing. "That's what you get for dating a Ravenclaw." 

"Not helping." He noticed that Oswald was quiet. "What's wrong with you?"

Oz finally looked at him. "So, your girlfriend is the reason it took you so long to get here?"

"Yeah, what else would it be?" Scorpius looked at Oz, who seemed to be debating the answer. What was this? Oz was quiet, and then he looked up and smiled. 

"Good, then you were just going through a phase." It was said so quietly, that Scor wasn't sure if it was said at all. "What?"

Oz looked up, "Nothing. So other than your wacky girlfriend, how was your summer?"

The friends sat in their compartment, talking about summer and school and quidditch. At least this was normal. Scorpius sat back and enjoyed the ride.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A few weeks later, it seemed that the train ride was the only thing that had been enjoyable. Even his mornings with Lily had been ruined. Melinda had noticed that he was never at breakfast. He had told her about taking the morning for himself after practice. Unfortunately, she had also noticed Lily's absence.

"So, when you take your morning, are you all by yourself."

Something about her question irritated him. It was his time with Lily. It was still his favorite time of year, and if she knew about it, it would no longer be sacred. Well, it was time to bring out the clever Slytherin. "Look, Mel, I really enjoy our time together, but I have a routine after practice as a way to unwind. It isn't that I don't want you there"

She looked put out, "but you don't want me there. Just tell me, are you there with Lily?"

"What does that matter?"

"So you are!" Now she was angry. Again he asked himself what had happened to the sweet, laughing girl he had known last year.

"Merlin, Mel. Lily is my friend. She and I have sat together every morning for over a year now. We just sit and talk and relax. I don't see the problem."

"If you don't see the problem then we have nothing to talk about." Mel turned with angry tears and stormed off. _Merlin, he couldn't take much more of this._

The next day, he sat talking to Lily.

"I swear, Âne Nu, I don't know where it went wrong. I am ready to pull my hair out. Lord, what is wrong with sitting here with you in the morning?"

Lily smiled as she glanced at him, "You are so clueless aren't you?"

"Yes! The other day, she asked me what my nickname was for her. When I told her I didn't have one for her, she got pissed."

Lily shook her head sympathetically. "Oh, Dumas, it's a girl thing. Do you have a nickname for anyone but me?"

He shook his head, smiling a little at the new name Lily had found for him. _If I have to put up with that stupid nickname, then you have to too, Dumbass_. Soon it had been shortened to Dumas and it had stuck. 

"That's the problem. Last year, I was just a little girl that you saw occasionally. Now I am competition."

"Competition? Competition for what?"

"Dear Lord, Scor, look at me! Am I a boy or a girl?"

"Well a girl, but what has that to do with anything?"

"Oh you poor pathetic thing. How did you manage to land a Ravenclaw when you are this dense? I am a girl. Mel just realized that I am the close friend you are always talking about. That means that we have a relationship and as far as a girl is concerned, that makes me competition."

Scorpius jumped up, "But we are just friends! It's not like we are sitting here snogging!" 

Lily sighed, "I know Scor, But Mel thinks we are. That is why she is clingy, and demanding more attention and wanting to know if you are out with me. That is why she is upset over the nickname."

"How did we get back to the nickname?"

Lily shook her head. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she tried again. "OK, one more time. I am a girl. You and I have a relationship, and before you start interrupting, a friendship is a relationship. That means you and I share certain things that you do not share with her. You gave me a nickname, but you didn't give her one. She sees that as something making me more important in your life and that makes her angry, jealous, and insecure. I am also very close to your age, and I like to think I am reasonably attractive. That means that she sees the time we spend together as a chance for me to take you away. That means she doesn't like you to have a friend that is a girl."

Scorpius was staring at her. "That's it, she's jealous? That's what this is about? There is absolutely nothing to be jealous about!" 

Lily looked up and laughed, "Yes, it is about her being jealous. You could always give her a nickname and spend less time with me. That might help."

Scorpius sat back down and leaned back. "Right now, I'm too exhausted to think straight. Who would have thought having a girlfriend was this much trouble."

XXXXXXXX

Scorpius went for another week, trying to figure out a nickname for Mel. He always seemed to be lost in thought, and he was very distracted. He and Lily were walking back from the library. It was fairly deserted in the hallway, so he wasn't worried about his friends seeing him with Lily. At least he could always count on her. Nothing seemed to upset her. Not stupid comments he let slip out, or his irritation about his girlfriend. She was keeping him grounded and sane. 

What would he do without her? They were passing the staircase, when a wand pointed from behind a tapestry. Before he could blink, Lily had slipped and began to tumble, head first, down the stairs. 

_Shit, Lily!_ Scorpius didn't know what to do. Without thinking, he drew his wand and shouted a cushioning charm, hoping it would help. Her body tumbled down the flight of stairs and she hit the landing. He was by her side in seconds. 

"Lily? Lily, are you OK?"

She sat up, a bit disoriented. She finally spoke, "Ow. What the hell?" After a quick look, to make sure she was OK, Scorpius began to breathe again.

Scorpius tried to help her up, "I don't know. We were walking and all of a sudden you were falling."

He got her righted and when she tried to walk, she slipped again. She landed hard on her butt. "Ow!" Scorpius made her sit down. 

This time, he began to check her over more thoroughly. He checked arms, and legs, and her head. He ran his hands over the limbs to check for breaks. He checked for cuts and bruises. Finally he looked at her, "I think you may be OK. But why can't you stand up?"

They tried to get her to stand, but the minute she tried to move, she almost fell again. The only thing that saved her was Scorpius' arm around waist, keeping her upright. Her legs were shaking, and finally it dawned on them both. They looked at each other and said, "Jelly-Leg Jinx!"

After a quick counter jinx, the two ran up the stairs, looking for the culprit that had hexed Lily. No one was up there, but around the corner came a small group of Slytherins. _Shit! It was his group of friends! And he was standing with Lily. Shit shit shit! _

Grayson was the first to spot him. "Oy, Scor, what are you doing here?" Then his eyes fell on Lily. "And what the hell are you doing with little Potter?" 

Scorpius panicked, his friends didn't know about Lily. He dropped his arm quickly and he put a mask in place. "Nothing. She just had a little tumble down the stairs. I was helping her out. Nothing of great importance."

He glanced at Lily, hoping she would understand why he was doing this. One look at her face and he knew that was wishful thinking. Grayson looked at the two and shrugged, "Well then, leave the little one and let's go. Dinner time!"

Scorpius walked over to his friends and they turned to leave. He glanced back at Lily, but she refused to look at him. He could see her arms shaking in anger. He went to put a hand on her shoulder. He whispered, "Are you OK?"

She looked up, without looking him in the eye. "Lily, you know they won't understand, please Lils, tell me you understand."

She just shook his arm off. "Go catch up to your friends. I am of no importance." Lily pushed past him. He felt a heaviness in his chest. He wanted to run after her, to explain, but the Slytherins were waiting for him. He followed his friends. When he looked back at Lily, he found that she was limping slightly. He almost ran to her, damn his friends, but then she looked up fully and he saw the tears. It was the only thing that stopped him. He was in shock. He had made Lily cry, and now he didn't know how to make it better. 


	24. Forgiveness

The next few weeks reminded him a bit of last year

The next few weeks reminded him a bit of last year. He went to the tree every morning, but Lily was never there. H tried to write to her in class, he tried to use the two way mirror, but she never answered. He tried to explain, but it was so hard when you couldn't find the girl.

_Lily, I know you are reading this….come on Lily, you need to let me explain….Please? _

_Lily, if you don't answer I am going to hold my breath until I pass out. You don't want that on your conscience do you? _

_Please, Lily. Don't make me explain this way. I need to talk to you in person. I am so sorry, but they didn't need to find out like that._

He tried for days. He was getting no where. Albus and James didn't know what was going on, because they weren't hunting him down, but they knew something was up. Lily refused to look at him or talk to him, so Scorpius was getting curious looks from the two Potters he didn't want to talk to.

Halloween came and went. She had even sent back the birthday card. He was going mad. She wasn't talking to him, his Slytherin friends knew something was up and they were asking questions, and now he was drowning in school work.

He even went far enough to go to Blain. "Is she OK?"

They were in the library. "Honestly? I don't know. She isn't talking to any of us. She disappears in the morning and we see her later that day. We know she doesn't want to talk about it though. What happened?"

Scorpius put his head down, "I really screwed up this time. Merlin, how do I fix this?"

"Well, it would help if I knew what you did."

"I blew her off when Grayson and the others came around the corner. She had just fallen down the stairs, she was OK, and they came round the corner. I left her to stand with them."

"Oh, you did mess up big time."

"Thanks Blain, I already knew that, now how do I fix it?"

Blain and Scorpius lapsed into silence. Neither could come up with a solution. How did one apologize when you couldn't get the other person to listen to you? It was made worse by Melinda. She seemed to realize that they were no longer talking, and so she was clingier than ever. When they were out, Scor wanted to ask her about how to fix his problem, but she was jealous of Lily and he didn't need two girls pissed off at him.

At least, Mel was going back to being the carefree girl he had started to date last year. He actually wanted to spend the time with her again. He hadn't realized how much he had come to dread the time they spent together. Now, they were back to joking, laughing, and enjoying the time, but somewhere in the back of his mind, he was always thinking of Lily. That must have showed to Mel.

"Scor, what's wrong?"

"Hmm, what do you mean?"

"I mean, your mind is wandering again. We were having such a good time, and now it is like you are gone."

He smiled at her, "Nothing you need to worry about, I was just an idiot."

"Oh, what else is new?"

"Hey!" Scorpius gave her a playful push. She laughed.

"OK, really…what's wrong?"

Scorpius sighed. He thought about what Lily had said. Mel had been jealous of a female friend. What would she think if his thoughts seemed to be centered around that friend?

"Well, it's about Lily."

"Oh." Mel went a little cold. He could see her draw back from him. This was just so frustrating. He needed help with this.

"Look, I know you don't like her. I don't know why, but she is very important to me. She has been like that sibling I never had growing up. Do you have siblings?"

"Well, I have a little sister and an older brother."

"OK, now imagine one is mad at you. She is like that for me, Mel. I never had the sibling to play with or talk to. That is what I do in the mornings. You asked me once, and I didn't want to tell you. It wasn't that I was being sneaky, but it is new for me and I wasn't ready to bring anyone else into that. I would just sit and talk to Lily after practice. That's all, and now I have screwed up royally and she won't even talk to me to let me apologize."

Melinda was quiet. He could see her thinking about what he had said. "Mel, I need your help."

She looked up. "OK. I'll help you get your sister back, on one condition."

"What?"

"Tell me the story behind the nickname." Scorpius leaned his head back and laughed.

XXXXXXXX

It was time for the years first quidditch match. It had also been a month or more since Lily had talked to him. He was desperate. He would have loved to be out there watching her, but he knew he had to catch her here. That was why he was sitting on the floor in the hall next to the pitch. She had to come by this way and he was going to catch her.

He leaned his head back and listened to the crowd. They were playing Ravenclaw. From the sounds of it, one team was walloping the other. Considering who was on the team, he was pretty sure the Gryfindor team was winning.

Soon he was no longer listening to the game. He was running through what he was going to say to her. He had to make this better. He was lost in thought and he was surprised when he heard cheering and running feet.

The Gryfindor team was coming down the hallway, celebrating. Well, it looks like they won. He could hear James. "That was an amazing catch, Lily!"

"Thanks. You had some nice moves yourself."

They came around the corner, and all conversation stopped. He looked at Lily. She looked at him and didn't say anything. The team all looked at Scorpius. Fred, Albus, and James took their positions next to her, blocking her from Scorpius. He reached out for her hand, but stopped at the look the boys gave her.

"Please, Lily. We need to talk. Please."

James stepped forward, "I don't know what you did Malfoy, but if you think…." Lily put a hand on James' shoulder.

"It's OK, James. I'll catch you in a few minutes."

"Lily…."

"I said, I'd catch up." She gave a stern look to her brothers. The team slowly began to head down the hall. James stopped and growled at Scorpius.

"You make her cry again, I make you cry. Got it?"

Scorpius just nodded, but his eyes were on Lily. She was holding her broom. He reached for her hands, but she backed up.

"What do you want Scor?"

He looked at her. "I miss you Lily. What I did was stupid. I am so sorry."

Lily looked at him "You really hurt me Scor."

"I know that. I should have stuck by you when they came around. I shouldn't have left. I mean you were hurt and I just pushed you away."

"Yeah you did. I don't understand Scorpius. We have been friends for a year. I know you haven't really told your friends about us, but I never thought you would do that to me."

Scorpius walked up and hugged her. He took it as a good sign that she was allowing him to hug her. "I am so sorry. I should have told them about the fall, and I should have taken you to the hospital wing."

He felt her stiffen. "Scor, do you think that is why I am upset? That you didn't take me to the hospital wing?"

He leaned back, but kept his hands on her shoulders. "Well, that made you mad didn't it? You were hurt and I didn't help you out."

She pushed hard on his chest, trying to twist away. "You stupid git! That is not why I am angry." He kept holding her, trying to figure out what he had said wrong. "You are so daft. Merlin you boys are so bloody stupid!"

She managed to break away. Scorpius looked at her confused. "If that's not why you are mad then what did I do?"

"You truly don't know?"

Scorpius was miserable and it must have showed on his face. Lily lowered her voice and her face softened. "Scor, you told your friends I don't matter. You basically let them know we are not friends."

"Lily, you know what they would do if they found out."

"No, I don't. What would they do, tease you? After a few weeks, they wouldn't care."

"You don't know them, Lily. They would make life miserable."

She was getting angry again. He could see it in her eyes. "For a while maybe, but they would get over it. If not, they aren't your friends and you ignore them."

"You don't get it do you? I live with them Lily. I am not like you, I can't just ignore them. I have to live with them for a few years. I don't have your support group. My friends don't just forgive and forget."

"You would have me though and Blain and my family. We would be your support group. Don't you see? It hurt me that you walked away from me. That means you are ashamed of me, of our friendship."

"Lily, I miss you. Doesn't that count for something? I want what we had back. Please."

"If you're ashamed of me, I just can't do that. I can't go back to what it was, not knowing that you are ashamed. Please don't ask me."

With that Lily ran off. Scorpius stood in shock. _Damn, what do I do now?_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A few hours later, he had butterflies in his stomach. He had been thinking about what Lily had said. He was miserable without her. His friends had eventually accepted him dating a Ravenclaw hadn't they? They would accept this….eventually. And if they didn't, well he would rather be miserable with Lily than without her.

So he had come up with a new plan. He obviously needed to prove to her that he was not ashamed to be her friend and it needed to be done where others could see it. He sighed to himself, and this was the best thing he could think of. _Merlin this better work, because otherwise…so help me, I will drag her out of the hall and make her believe me!_

He entered the Great Hall. There was Lily, surrounded by friends at the table. He took a deep breath and headed over to the Gryfindor table. People stopped talking and stared. The room started to go quiet. Lily was talking to Albus, so she didn't see him coming. He put a hand on her shoulder. Lily looked up, startled. He looked at the place next to her at the table.

"Is this seat taken?"

Without waiting for an answer, he sat down and began to dish up a plate of food. Her mouth was hanging open. He reached over and popped it closed. "Can you pass me the peas my friend?" He slung an arm around her shoulder.

There was no way anyone could mistake the friendship now. He looked up at his friends at the Slytherin table and he waved at the stunned looks. He called to them, "I'm going to sit with my friend Lily today. I'll see you at the common room after dinner."

Lily was looking at him in awe. Before he knew what hit him, she had launched sideways and hugged him hard. He could feel tears on his neck. She whispered, "Thank you."

The two friends sat and enjoyed dinner. He knew it would be a long hard time in the common room later, but the smile on her face meant it didn't matter. He had Lily back. They laughed and joked as if the last few weeks had never happened. She leaned her head on her shoulder and he put an arm around her waist.

It was perfect. He didn't see the two sets of eyes watching him and Lily. Melinda was watching them, realization dawning in her eyes. The other eyes were dark, and burning with an intense hatred. "Just wait Potter, you will be mine one day."


	25. Repercussions

Dinner was over much too soon

Dinner was over much too soon. Scorpius and Lily spent the entire meal laughing and catching up. At one point she looked at him and quietly said, "I'm sorry. I know I was cruel not letting you explain. I just needed to be mad for a little bit, but I am sorry all the same."

Scorpius leaned his forehead onto hers. "I'll accept your apology if you accept mine. I was an idiot and I can only hope that I will not continue to be an idiot in the future. But no promises."

Lily laughed at that. "Deal." Everything was getting back to normal. The two parted after dinner, and he was feeling on top of the world. That was, until he started his climb down the stairs to his dorm. Oh this was going to be a nightmare. He slowed his pace, hoping to delay the inevitable.

All too soon, he arrived at the entrance to the Slytherin common room. When he opened the door, he thought he was in luck. No one was there right now. Most had gone to bed after a long week. He scanned the room, waiting for Oz to jump out at him. No one did. He walked slowly up to his room. As he opened the door, he knew his luck had run out.

There were his four friends, all sitting on his bed waiting for him. Grayson sat looking bored, while the girls still looked in shock. Oz was glaring at him, his arms crossed. Before he could explain, Oz started in on him.

"Merlin Scor, I thought you had gotten over this little phase."

Scorpius was taken aback. This was not how he pictured this little chat. "What phase?"

"Don't play dumb with me. I knew you had been seeing Little Potter last year, but it was a phase. I thought you had come to your senses and realized that we are your friends, not that Brat!"

"Wait, you knew I was friends with Lily?"

Oz rolled his eyes. "I saw you spending a lot of time with her end of last year in the library. But that was right after you started to hang out with Blain again, so I just figured it was a little phase. But you blew us off for that..that…GRYFINDOR! And a Potter no less! Don't you have any sense left? Or have they twisted your thinking?"

Scorpius held up his hands, "Whoo whoo whoo. Pause. Look, I started making friends with Lily Potter last year, but I haven't traded you in for her. I have made sure of that. You are my friends and I don't want that to change. But Lily is also my friend, even if she is a Gryfindor. I'm sorry you had to find out like that, I imagine it came as a shock."

Persephone looked up, she was angry. "You think? We expect you to come spend time with us, and all you can think about is your little _friend_ sitting across the room. You don't tell us anything Scor, and yet you expect us to just forgive and forget. It was one thing to date a Ravenclaw, I mean we figured you would eventually come around, but a Potter? You despise the Potters. You can't honestly expect us to just miraculously be ok with that. I mean, is this where you disappear to in the mornings? To see your little friend?"

Persephone looked hurt. Scorpius didn't know what to say. He had known that it would be hard to get them to understand, but he didn't expect it to be this hard. It was then that he realized that they felt betrayed. He was their friend, and yet he had never given the slightest hint that he was out with another.

"Look, I'm sorry. But this would hardly be a first. I mean Blain is in Gryfindor too, and you don't have a problem with him."

Grayson stepped forward, "Blain was already one of us. We grew up with him. It was…unfortunate…when he was placed with the Dorks, but this is little perfect Potter. The one with all the fame and glory. The one you always complain about, and you just expect us to accept it. We don't, plain and simple."

"Look, if you just give her a chance. She isn't what I thought she would be. She's different. And she is really talented." Merlin, listen to him, he was starting to whine. This was not going well.

"Guys I'm sorry, but I can't just give up a friendship like that."

Persephone spoke, "Well, it's her or us. You need to make that choice Scor."

He looked at them with sad eyes, "Guys, don't make me choose."

Persephone looked hurt. "It appears you already have. Have fun with you little Potter friend. Come on Bernadette. If you come to your senses, you know where to find us." With a final look, the girls were out the door.

Scorpius looked to the guys. Grayson just gave him a disgusted look and turned away. He looked at Oswald. "Oz, don't do this. Please, my friend." Oz gave him a sad look, and he too turned away. Scorpius was left, feeling very alone.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next few weeks were fire and ice. He was so happy to have Lily back, and as an added bonus, he didn't feel the need to hide in the library with her. He could proudly with her by his side. That time with her, he felt so warm, and so alive. He felt he could laugh more in public.

On the other hand, he felt cold whenever he was in his own common room. No one would talk to him. They gave him a cold shoulder. He was left a lone, but ignored. Eating at his own table became a nightmare. Often times, he would join Lily just so he could feel that happiness again.

Then one day, an owl came to make his day even worse. It was his grandfather's owl, and it was carrying a howler. _Shit!_

His grandfather's voice filled the Great Hall. His grandfather did not yell, no his voice was hard and cold. It gave Scorpius shivers to think about what his grandfather might do when he went home for the holidays.

_Disgraceful, absolutely disgraceful. To think that a great pureblood has stooped so low. I have never in all my life been so embarrassed to carry the name of Malfoy. My only grandson, fraternizing with a Potter. You should be ashamed of yourself. You have brought disgrace to your name and you should hang your head in shame. You no longer are my grandson. This goes beyond anything I could have imagined. Think long and hard about what you have done, for it will not be easily forgiven._

Lily had skipped out of her class just to spend some extra time with him. He had needed it. That letter had shaken him up. His friends in Slytherin had merely looked up at the letter, but they soon turned away. Only Oz had looked at him with worried eyes. Oz knew what his grandfather was capable of. But that still didn't seem to be enough for forgiveness. Lily took his hand and led him out of the Great Hall.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks." He smiled at her. She looked at him, with a slight frown.

"If only we could have you over to our common room, I think you would really love it. I think you could use a little extra support."

"Yes, well we agreed that the house common rooms need to stay house only. You know you can't go giving out the password to other houses, and me being there, well, it doesn't help house unity."

"How are things in your House? Any better?"

"They are...bearable." He looked at her frown, and he reached a finger out to smooth away the worry line creasing her forehead. "Don't worry about me. I would prefer this to you not talking to me."

"I'm sorry Scor. I didn't think it would get this bad. I am so sorry."

He smiled as she leaned in to hug him. She was great at making him feel better. "Lily, you were right, they needed to know. I would have grown sick of hiding the friendship. I am not ashamed to be your friend and they will either come around or they won't. Now come on, your uncle sent some new things to try out on Filtch!"

He grabbed her had and ran off, never noticing Melinda's eyes following them.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Winter came and went, and it was still no better with his housemates. He spent most of his time with Lily now, and when he couldn't be with her, they were talking using the mirrors and the parchment. It was the only way to keep sane.

At least Lily was no longer giving him worried looks. In fact, she seemed to be up to something. It seemed Bludger was always bringing her letters. And she wasn't letting him look at her sketches. She was claiming they weren't ready, but he knew something was up. She had that twinkle. Damn he hated that twinkle.

He sighed. Well his House may hate him, but at least he had Lily. One thing they couldn't fault him on was his skill on the quidditch pitch. He had helped lead his team to victory every game. He had even beaten Lily to the snitch this year. At least they couldn't say that he let her win because she was his friend, and considering how he had been playing lately, they couldn't claim she let him win.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As spring started up, he was feeling pretty good. Harry Potter was at Hogwarts for a week giving lectures. He had even found time to sit and talk with Scorpius about everything going on. He felt he could confide in the wizard. He was always very attentive and quietly contemplated what was said.

It was a relief to talk to someone other than Lily. Some things you needed fatherly advise on, and he didn't think his father would give him the greatest considering the circumstances. Knowing Draco, he would tell Scorpius he had dug this hole and he needed to use his Slytherin wiles to get out of it.

Harry had invited Scorpius to join him for lunch. He had heard about his difficult time with other Slytherins and they started to talk about everything. Harry had sat quietly through the tale. He raised an eyebrow when Scor mentioned sitting with Lily. When everything was finished, Harry smiled.

"I knew my trust in you was well deserved."

"Yeah, but it has made life miserable in my rooms. They all hate me."

Harry sat quietly. He seemed to think about things before he spoke, and that showed Scorpius that he was serious. "You know someone very wise once told me that it takes great courage to stand up to your enemies. It takes more courage to stand up to your friends. You did what you thought was right. It may not be easy right now, but it will all work out in the end. You'll see."

"Yeah, but they haven't talked to me for months. They aren't trying to hex me, but they just act as if I don't exist."

"You know, I am going to tell you a little something. You see me now. Do you imagine I had similar problems?"

Scorpius looked up at the _boy who lived_. "Well, I imagine not like this. I mean you are famous, so I imagine everyone wanted to know you and be beside you. I doubt they would ignore you."

Harry chuckled. "Ah, but you see, that was a problem. What most people do not understand is that I never wanted to be famous. No one believes that. I am a quiet person, and I like my privacy. I can't go anywhere without someone gawking at me, or asking me questions. My best friend, Ron, was ok with that most of the time. He knew it wasn't something I wanted."

"But Ron comes from a big family where you do not get a ton of attention. You have to share it with six or more other people. There was a time that he did not talk to me for months. It was awful. He thought I doing something to get more attention, and it hurt our friendship. He didn't talk to me for a very long time."

"You see, Scor, people were always talking about me, and that bothered me. But as long as I had Ron and Hermione, I was ok. When Ron stopped talking to me, it made life a living hell. But in the end, he came around. And to this day, we are inseparable. Now do you understand why I am telling you this?"

Scorpius looked at Harry. This was someone who did not talk about his past. He was notorious for wanting privacy, and here he was talking to Scorpius about events from his past. It made Scorpius feel very grown up and important. "So, what you are saying is, you had a friend who ignored you and it worked out in the end."

"Exactly. If they are really your friends, they will come around in time. It all works out in the end. In the meantime, all you can do is remain approachable. Make sure to keep trying with them, because sometimes when they realize they have made a mistake, pride gets in the way of fixing the mistake."

Scorpius sat back "Thank you sir."

With a pat on his back, Harry simple said, "Your welcome." The two finished their meal in silence.

XXXXXXXXX

It was almost perfect, until Lily landed in the hospital wing again. This time, Scorpius had not been with her. It was one of the few times he was not by her side. She had been walking back to Gryfindor Tower when she had been hit with a very nasty hex with caused very painful burns all over her body.

Luckily, the twins, Lor and Ly, had been with her. They couldn't see who had thrown the curse, and they didn't stop to look. Lily needed medical help. They rushed their friend to the hospital wing.

Blain had come rushing down to the dungeons and started banging on the portrait and causing a stir. Finally, someone had peeked their head out and he had yelled for Scorpius. One look, and he had known it was Lily.

"Damn! What is it this time?"

Scorpius yelled at Blain as the two began to run to the hospital wing. This was becoming an all too familiar pattern. It seemed Lily ended up in the hospital wing on a regular basis. She had just been hit recently in the chest with a bludger during practice, though no one could remember hitting it. It had almost knocked her off her broom, but it had cracked a few ribs.

Before that, she had been standing by a suit of armor that had fallen over. She had almost been sliced by the sword in the suit's hands. That one thank goodness had not required a hospital stay.

Scorpius burst through the doors right into Madam Pomfrey. She was used to this routine by now. "She is over there Mr. Malfoy. She is fine. I think a little stay and she will be right as rain. Don't stay too long, she needs rest."

Malfoy thanked her and ran to Lily. "Lord, Lils, you really need to stay outta this place. Or do you think its fun to give me heart attacks."

He had long ago learned that Lily appreciated the humor rather than the concern. She always felt bad when people worried. She laughed, "Sorry Scor, but its just a few burns. Nothing Poppy can't handle. Personally I think I can go now, but I mentioned it to her and got nothing but a glare."

He looked at the red scorch marks that still covered her skin. They were on her face, her arms, and he was guessing her legs.

"Who did you piss off in the halls?"

"Haha, very funny." She looked a little worried. "You know, I had the feeling I was being watched, and then this happened. Thank goodness Lor and Ly were with me."

Lily looked up at Scor. She was very still, "Scor, I think someone is after me."

He laughed, "Lily, don't be silly. Who would be after you?"

She still looked serious, "I don't know. But I swear I was being followed. Think about all the accidents I have had this year."

She reached out and took his hand. She was serious. He stopped laughing. "Lily, you know I will do everything to make sure you are alright."

"I know Scor." She shook her head, "I think the potions are getting to me. Forget what I said, I'm being delusional. You're right, who would be after me?" She laughed and changed the subject.

Scorpius stayed until he was shooed out. He smiled and kissed Lily on the cheek before heading back to his room. As soon as he left, he lost his smile. He started to replay all the accidents in his head. _Don't be silly Scor. No one is after Lily._

But somehow, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched.


	26. The Common Room

**OK, this is the final chapter for this story. The sequel "When Fame and Fortune Collide" will be up in a day or so. Thank you to all who have reviewed and read this story. I hope you will enjoy the sequel. Sorry but you don't get to find out who is after Lily yet. That comes in her 5****th**** year or so. I haven't fully decided. Also, I know JKR said that Minerva would not be the head mistress at this time, but I just love her character, so that is why she is still alive and kickin as the head mistress. Thanks again. And now, on with the show.**

Things were also going well for Scorpius with Melinda. It seemed that she was back to her old self. She was not clinging to him every second or demanding a nickname. She had even helped him come up with his first plan to get Lily to forgive him.

Scorpius and Mel had taken to spending lunch together. They would eat out by the lake when it was sunny out and after dinner, they would meet up in the library. She seemed to understand that Lily really wasn't competition and Scorpius was trying to show her that.

During the winter months, Scorpius had brought up an idea to Lily. They were out by their tree, bundled up against the cold. Scorpius was looking up at the snow falling down. Lily was pouring hot chocolate into steaming mugs. She passed one to Scor. She cradled one in both her hands, breathing in the smell of warm chocolate.

Scorpius took a little sip, feeling warmth run down his arms and legs. "Lily, I want to talk to you."

She looked over at him, smiling, "Yes Scor?"

"Well, remember when we talked about Mel being jealous of you?"

"Mmmhmm" Lily was sipping from her mug. She smiled over the rim.

"Well, she asked where I went in the mornings, and I told her. I told her how we come just talk, and that's it, but I think it would help if she saw that was what we do. I think she feels really left out."

Lily raised an eyebrow. "How…insightful of you. So you want my permission to invite her to come out with us in the mornings?"

He sighed in relief. Sometimes he swore they could read each others minds. "Yes. I think she would want to spend more time with you and me if she saw that we don't do anything much. I mean we just talk."

Lily grinned, "And have snowball fights. Where I always win."

"In you dreams Potter."

"Is that a challenge, Malfoy?"

And before he knew it, the snowball fight had started. As the two battled on, Oswald stood at the top of the hill, watching his former friend. And something seemed to be setting in for the young Slytherin. Scorpius was happy. Oz frowned as he watched the pair laugh in the winter sun.

XXXXXXXXXXX

It was spring before Scorpius had been really ready to invite Mel to their morning routine. He had still wanted Lily to himself for a little longer, and he wanted Mel's first experience to be a somewhat warm one. Mel was not really one for cold, and she did not really enjoy the outdoors, so he wanted the day to be perfect.

The day was warm with a tiny breeze. The sun was peaking over the horizon. The night before, he had asked Mel to meet him out by the quidditch pitch. He had finished practice and was waiting for her by the pitch. He was starting to get edgy. She was late. He looked at the sky. _Damn, Lily was going to beat him there today. She hadn't done that in months._

Finally, he could see Mel coming towards him. She looked sleepy. She came over and kissed him good morning. "Sorry I'm late Scor. I'm not used to getting up so early on a Saturday. Where are we going?"

Scorpius smiled. He had been irritated, but that was just because he was so excited. She smiled back as he led her over the hill and to the tree. He was right, Lily had beat them there. Worst of it, she was gloating. Not the way most do, but rather with a smile that he knew meant she had won. He hurried over.

"Lily, you know Mel of course." Lily smiled up at Melinda who was clinging just a little to Scor's arm. She smiled.

"Hi Melinda. Glad you could join us today." Scorpius looked down at Lily. She didn't have her usual stuff. She was obviously reluctant to let someone else know about her sketches, so instead of drawing, she had brought out homework.

Melinda smiled, "Hi Lily. How are you?"

The two girls exchanged small talk while he and Lily settled in. They didn't even look at each other as they worked. It just came naturally. It was like a dance. They did this every morning and they anticipated the others moves.

Lily stood and Scorpius spread out the blanket. Lily turned to the bag and grabbed the food while Scorpius set out plates and cups. They laid out breakfast. Lily dished up waffles for herself and Scor, never bothering to ask what he wanted on his, she just knew. Scor poured drinks for the three of them, knowing Lily preferred milk in the morning rather than pumpkin juice. He made a waffle for Mel, exactly like his own. Lily pulled out a blanket for their legs in case the wind picked up, and the two friends sat down at the same time.

Melinda looked unsure about what to do. Scor laughed, "You can sit Mel." She smiled and sat down.

"Wow, you guys did that all without running into each other. Neither tried to do the others job. That was quite amazing."

Scor caught Lily's eye and they said in unison, "Lots of practice." At which the two bust out laughing. Smiling, the group began to eat. Looking at Mel, he noticed her pick of the peaches from her waffle. She caught him looking and blushed.

"I don't really like peaches." Scorpius looked at her and inwardly cringed. He should know that shouldn't he? I mean he knew what Lily liked to eat, and he had lunch with Mel almost every day, he should know this.

"Sorry." Melinda just smiled.

"It's OK, you never see me eat breakfast so you wouldn't really know." They continued to eat in silence. Scorpius could tell that Melinda was not fully enjoying herself, but maybe she was just nervous. She had never just come outside and sat and had breakfast with them, it was new.

By the time they had finished eating, she seemed to have warmed a little and was even starting to talk a little bit with Lily. Lily, for her part, was answering everything very politely, but Scor noticed a slight change in her behavior. He couldn't quite put his finger on it. She was being genuinely nice, but something was off.

Melinda told a joke and Lily laughed. Mel put her hand on Scor's arm and that's when it hit him. That's what was wrong. Lily was making sure not to touch him. Usually she hugged him, or put a hand on his arm or slapped him upside the head. He did the same with her, but she was avoiding touching him. He looked at Mel's hand and then looked at Lily.

She smiled, but raised her eyebrow at him. He could see her give him the Dumas look. While Mel was glancing around at the scenery she leaned close and whispered so only he could hear, "Please, I'm not going to push things with your girlfriend here. We know it's nothing, she doesn't, so just relax." Once again, she had read his mind.

It was going alright. Lily sat working on homework, and Scor leaned against the tree. Mel looked between the two. She cleared her throat and brought Scor out of his happy daze. "You know, you don't have to just sit there. You can talk the same way you always do. I know it's usually just the two of you, but I'm not here to intrude. Just act naturally."

Scorpius gave her a puzzled look. "What do you mean Mel?"

"Well, you're just sitting here, not doing anything. I was happy you invited me, but I hate to think I am keeping you from doing what you normally do."

Lily smiled at Mel. "Don't worry about it. This is what we normally do."

"You mean you don't just sit out here and talk?"

Scorpius leaned back and closed his eyes, "Nope. I mean we do, but we usually just sit here for an hour or so. It's relaxing." He placed his hands behind his head and relaxed even more. He could feel Mel settle in next to him. He could hear Lily's quill scratching on parchment. It was near perfect.

That only lasted five minutes. His peace was disturbed every time Mel moved. She just couldn't seem to get comfortable. Every time Scorpius thought she had settled down, she would sigh, or shift. It was breaking up his usual calm and he could feel irritation start. Lily seemed to sense this and he heard the quill stop.

"So, Melinda, how are classes going?" Scorpius could feel Melinda perk up.

"Wonderfully. I mean I am really getting the hand of some of the new spells they are teaching us. And I met the nicest portrait on the third floor the other day."

Scorpius interrupted, "Just watch out for that third floor staircase. It's a doozie." Lily laughed next to him. He opened his eyes to see Melinda giving him a confused smile. He shrugged, "Sorry, inside joke."

The small talk continued on. Some of the time, it ended up being Lily and Scor discussing things and Melinda looking on. Lily really tried to keep her in the loop, explaining some of the stories. But for the most part, you had to be there, became a phrase commonly used during the morning.

Soon the morning was up, and the two friends went through the dance of cleaning up. Again, they seemed to read each others minds and no one tried to do the same jobs. Mel looked on, again. Lily wiped grass off the back of her robes and smiled, "Well, glad you could join us Mel. I'll see you around." She turned to Scorpius, "Talk to you in class."

Lily lifted her arm, and Bludger came soaring out of nowhere. The two headed off to the castle, leaving Mel and Scorpius alone for a few minutes. The walked slowly towards the castle themselves. Mel finally grabbed his arm and turned his to face her.

"Thanks for bringing me today, it meant a lot that you invited me. Is this really what it's like every morning?"

He smiled, "Well not as much talking. We sometimes sit there, just lost in our own thoughts for an hour, but yeah."

He could see her thinking of a way to rephrase her next comment. "Well, it makes me feel better, to know what you do with her. I would really like to spend more time with you and Lily. I mean if we are going to continue to date, I should really get to know your best friend." Scorpius nodded.

"But?"

"Well, don't take this the wrong way, but I was bored. It's just not my thing and I kept feeling like I was intruding."

He felt himself get alarmed. She wasn't going to get weird on him again was she? "No no no, it was no intrusion, no bother whatsoever. I liked having you there."

Mel laughed, "You liar. Besides, the outdoors just isn't my thing, and everyone needs time away from their girlfriend or boyfriend. But maybe I could join you other time you are hanging out, every once in awhile. That way I could get to know your best friend a little better."

Scorpius felt his panic dissipate. "That would be great." The two began walking again hand in hand up to the castle.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

For weeks, everything worked out well. Mel started to spend more time with him and Lily. They laughed, and joked, but she never seemed to get completely comfortable with Lily. In fact, Scorpius always felt a little tense when the two got together. Lily of course explained it to him.

"You have two girls in your life, and each shares something different with you. I don't want to intrude, that's why I don't eat with you at lunch. She feels like she is intruding on our time, and yet she wants to be the important one in your life, so she is getting used to me. Just give it time Scor."

And so he did, and slowly, she seemed to get used to Lily. It was all slipping into place. The only problem was those stupid hospital visits. Lily was up to three already this year. Every time he would rush in a panic, with or without Mel by his side. She was very understanding though and would tell him of course he had to go, it was Lily in the hospital wing.

After the last trip though, she was starting to give the two odd looks. It wasn't malicious or jealous. He knew that. It was more…curious. He just wasn't sure what to think. He shook his head and went on with homework.

Before he knew it, it was close to the end of the year and his birthday. Lily was almost bursting at the seams. He knew it had something to do with his birthday, but she was saying nothing. It was thoroughly annoying.

The night of his birthday, she couldn't seem to sit still. Throughout dinner, she just kept giving him a glowing smile. She barely touched her food. He was about to ask if she needed to go for a little trip to St Mungos when the Headmistress stood up. Professor McGonagal gave a small smile to the room. All were quiet.

"Well my students, we are nearing the end of our year. As it ends, it has come to my attention that some changes need to be made for next year." This caused a flurry of excited whispers. What changes was she talking about? One stern glance was all that was needed and the room lapsed into silence once more.

"As I was saying. It seemed that there is a slight flaw in the makeup of our school. When the founders started this school, it is my belief that they never intended to separate the students permanently when they divided them into houses. It seems that free time must be spent in your common rooms or outside. When it is cold, there are few places students from different houses may go to spend time together. The common rooms for your houses are a place to create friendships and to relax, but what do you do when you have a friend that resides in a different house?" At this, Scorpius looked at a beaming Lily.

"That is why a students has brought forth a proposal for next year. In addition to the house common rooms, a new common room will be built. It will connect to the great hall, and it will be a room where anyone from any house may go to relax. It is my hope that this will bring out unity not only in our houses, but in our school as well. Thanks you for your attention."

Professor McGonagal sat down and the whispers became a dull roar as people began to talk. Scorpius looked at Lily, she hugged him, laughing, "Happy Birthday Scor. Now we cam spend time in the common room together with everyone else."

Scorpius hugged her back. He was speechless. Lily had gone to the headmaster to get a common room that they could both use? He pulled back and looked at her, "Lily, how…wha..?"

She laughed at his stunned expression. "Well, I just went to talk to Aunt Min...I mean Professor McGonagal a few weeks ago. She loved my idea, so I have been working on sketches for the new room. The teachers will work on this summer and we should have it by next fall."

He looked at her and was suddenly overcome with joy. He picked Lily up and swung her around the room, not even caring that people were staring at them. "Lily Luna Potter you are the most amazing friend a person could ask for. It's perfect!"

That night, he looked at the sketches of the room Lily and designed. Surrounding him were little gifts and cards from his Gryfindor friends. He had even received small gifts from Grandma Weasley, Uncle George, and Harry and Ginny. He appreciated them all, but that little sketch was perfect. He fell asleep, clutching the parchment to his chest and smiling.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The last few weeks of school flew by. The only thing he noticed was that Melinda was continuing to give him strange looks. Just before school was out, she found him in the library. She gave him an odd little smile.

"Hi Scor."

"Hi, Mel. What's up?"

"Scor, we need to talk." Uh oh, no conversation ever ended well when it started with those few little words. He looked at her apprehensively.

"About what?"

Melinda looked at her hands, "About us." Scorpius gave her a confused look. She smiled at him sadly. "Oh this isn't going to be easy is it?" She sighed and took his hand.

"Look, I want you to know I really like you, but this time I have spent with you and Lily, well, it has opened my eyes a little bit." He interrupted her.

"I thought you knew by now that she is only my friend. I don't have those feelings for her." Mel smiled.

"I know. But you have something very special with her. That's the problem."

"But I have something special with you too. I have been trying to show you that."

"I know Scor, but I have really sat down and thought about this hard for weeks now. I saw your face every time you left the hospital wing. I saw it the morning I sat with you. You two just have something…extra special."

Scorpius didn't know what to say to that. Yes he had something special with Lily but…

"Oh Scor. If you were to pick, would you prefer to spend the morning with Lily or lunch with me. And answer truthfully." Scorpius thought about it and he looked down. If he were to answer the truth, he would have picked Lily.

Mel seemed to know that. "You would pick her, and that is OK Scor. I mean I have never seen a set of friends like you. You read each others minds. You are comfortable enough with each other to sit and say nothing. You have all these inside jokes and when she walks in you just light up." She held up a hand to keep him from interrupting.

"No matter what we would do, we would never have that, bit I want it. Just watching you two makes me realize that is the kind of relationship I want, and I can't have that with you. You have that with her, and I don't want to take that away….from either of you."

Mel stopped talking. They sat in silence. Scorpius thought about what she had said, and he really wasn't sure what to think. She didn't seem mad, only resigned to the fact that she had to break this off. He looked up at her worried face. It dawned on him that she wasn't worried about breaking this off, but how he would react. She had been gearing herself up for this for weeks. He gave her a little smile. Mel smiled back and threw herself into a hug.

"I knew you would understand. I hope we can still be friends."

"Of course Mel. If you need anything, you know you can count on me." Minutes later, he was sitting, contemplating his new single status. It really wasn't the traumatic feeling he thought he would have. It was almost…indifferent. Scorpius sighed, dating was such an odd thing, and he would never understand girls.

XXXXXXXXX

A few days later, Scorpius found himself aboard the train heading home. Lily, Albus, Blain, and Melinda were all sitting in the compartment with him. They were laughing and talking about their summer plans. They were soon interrupted by the door sliding open. There stood Oz, looking very out of place. Talking ceased, and Oz lifted his head a little higher. He looked straight at Scorpius.

"Can I talk to you?"

Scorpius nodded and excused himself from the train. Oz led him to an empty compartment. Scor looked around, "Where are the others?"

"Who knows. I haven't really seen much of Grayson or Bernadette in the last few months. They kind of went off to do their own thing I guess. Persephone is still fuming mad, so she is probably off throwing hexes around." Oz shook his head, "Look, Scor I just wanted to say…I'm sorry. I really didn't understand your…thing…with Potter. But I have seen you with her and you seem really happy when you are around her. Kind of like it used to be when Blain was around when we were little."

There was a long pause. Oz shuffled his feet, "Anyways, sorry." Oz turned to leave, and Scorpius grabbed his arm.

"You know, Blain is over there right now. Want to come say hi?"

Oz looked at Scorpius. He could see the small boy debating this. In the end, he nodded sharply. "Sure, I'd like that. Oh and Oz, that thing with Lily and I, it's called a friendship."

He laughed at Oz's expression. With an arm around his friend, he headed off to his compartment, smiling. _Yep, life was almost perfect._


End file.
